Redemption
by Lamker
Summary: There were many paths Laxus could have taken, yet he chose redemption. He felt as if there wasn't even a real choice to be made. But he also knew this was the hardest one. Somehow, he'd find a way to repay everything. He will also meet many different people: From the ones who saw him as a hero and monster, ones he could not help and those who completely hated him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there people!**

**First, I'd like to explain a few things, so this chapter might be a bit boring and longer than the the rest... Sorry in advance**

**First: This is a 'sort of squeal' to my other story 'Exiled' and as such, it's not absolutely necessary for you to read 'Exiled', but is recommended. **

**Second: Most of the events happening in this story, are what was happening durring the two weeks Freed was in the hospital in 'Exiled', but there won't be any references, only flashbacks... And lots of them... Another thing here, I'll be using two different ways: Memories and Flashbacks. The former will be longer and won't be written in 'Italic' like the latter. **

**Three: There are no parings here, only hints at some Miraxus. And while Makarov, Mira and Raijinshu are in the 'characters' they only appear in flashbacks/memories. **

**Another little thing... **

_Thought are written in Italic_

_**Inner voices are written in both Bold and Italic**_

**Magic Spells are written in Bold.**

**I hope you enjoy the story and feel free to ask me anything you don't understand. Also tell me what you think by reviewing ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.1 Haven**_

Laxus Dreyar was, at the moment, asleep on a train with his headphones on. He was lucky, that he managed to fall asleep before his motion sickness came up. And in his dreams, memories rose up. Memories of the old times, when he was just a teenager.

_***Memory***_

It was a normal, peaceful day at the guild, with everyone minding their own business and no one yelling, fighting or doing anything of the sorts. Yeah right! This was Fairy Tail! These guys don't have 'normal' days!

"Erza! Where are you?! Come out and fight me!" Mirajane yelled, standing atop a table and looking for the red-head.

"Nee-chan… Erza-nee is out on a mission…" her little brother, Elfman muttered.

"What? Then I won't let her out do me! I need someone to come along!" Mira quickly glanced around before her eyes stopped on a blonde teenager, eyes closed and his headphones on.

"There we go!" she smirked before jumping off the table and sneaking near the boy and gently taking off one of the headphones. Just as she was about to yell in his ear, the boy's arm grabbed the headphone and cracked one eye open.

"What do you want Demon?" he asked, turning his face to her.

"I want you to go on a mission with me!" the white-haired girl pointed her thumb at herself and smirked.

"Why me…?" the boy almost whined.

"'Cause I need someone who's already S-Class!" she frowned.

"Go ask someone else then…"

"Laxus, you're the only one here! In case ya forgot, which you clearly did, Gildarts went on that hundred-year-quest! Unless… you're too chicken to go," she smirked as he glared at her. But a moment later, he sighed and put his headphone back on.

"I'll pass…" he muttered.

"Oh, come now Laxus," Makarov appeared next to the two. "It'll do you some good to meet girls around your age."

"What the hell old man?!" the two jumped and yelled.

"I'm just saying… you're both in your years… it's the time when loves tends to spark the most. Not to mention Laxus hasn't had any-" but before the Master could continue, the blonde grabbed Mira's arm and started dragging her outside.

"Fine, fine! I'm going see?! Just shut up!" the 17 year old called back as the 13 year old blinked before smirking.

"Laxus~ I had no idea you were such a liar! And here you were, talking about all your experience," she saw his face go red just as they left the Guild.

"Just shut it and walk!" he hissed, looking to the side to try and get rid of the blush.

_***End of memory***_

Truth be told, those were the enjoyable moments. He used to be the one that broke off any fights Mira and Erza might have had. Yet, he wasn't sure what happened to change that. It could have been the fact that his father was kicked out of the Guild or when Lisanna died… But those good times were interrupted when the train started stopping and the voice called: "We will be arriving in Rose Town shortly. Would all passengers take their belongings and wit for a bit more? Thank you."

A groan escaped from him as Laxus stretched his arms and grabbed his bag. This stop, Rose Town, was all the way in Bosco. He had left Fiore as soon as he could.

* * *

"Well… this is the place," Dreyar mumbled and exited the train. It was getting late and people were starting to get inside. As the Lightning Mage passed a few residents, no one seemed to recognize him. A part of him was happy, while the other a bit disappointed.

"_I better find a place for the night…_" walking a bit more, the Dragon Slayer found an inn somewhere in the middle of town with the name of 'Haven'. Hesitating for a few seconds, Laxus opened the door and stepped inside.

"Ah, welcome!" a girl called from the bar. Looking around, the blonde had thought he might laugh. There were fights happening all over the place and drinks flying all over the place. Yells, cheers, shouts and insults were mixing all together. For a moment, he had thought he walked back into Fairy Tail.

"Sorry for the mess. They are usually calmer," the girl smiled as the Mage came closer. She had long, orange hair and deep-blue eyes.

"Ah, I don't mind. Reminds me of some people actually," he smiled and took out his wallet. "Can I get a room for three nights?"

"Sure! It's 150 Jewels then," she chipped and reminded Dreyar of a certain white-haired She-Demon.

"Oi, Blondie!" someone suddenly called.

* * *

Turning around, already ready to kick someone's lights out, Laxus saw the man that called him out was completely drunk. His face was red and he was wobbling as he stood. Even his short black hair was a mess.

"What?" was the simple, hard reaction the Dragon Slayer gave.

"Ya plaayin' wit… ma girl 'ere?" the man narrowed his eyes.

"Jim, leave it! He just came to book a room," the girl came around and stepped before the blonde.

"Haaa? A rooom eh? So ya can do wha?"

"Jim… Please, you're really drunk… Maybe you should…" the girl started but stopped when the man suddenly grabbed her by the arm.

"C'mon sweet cheeks… why don't cha come… over with me an' ma boysss… we'll be gentle…" he reeked of alcohol and leaned in closer.

"J-Jim… let go of me…" she whispered, fear in her voice.

"Aw, com on… just for a bit…" he licked her neck and smirked.

"Hey," Laxus growled and the girl suddenly found herself behind him, with the Mage's hand protectively shielding her.

"She's not interested so back off," he added, fighting the anger that was rising inside.

"Ha? Mind ya own business pretty boy," the drunken man frowned.

"That was never how we played," he glared as electricity cracked around his body.

The drunk suddenly opened his eyes wide and took a few steps back. "Y-Ya're a wizard? D-damn it, no way in hell I'm gettin' in a fight with freaks like ya!" and with that, he and his friends left the inn, fear still visible in their bodies.

* * *

"T-Thank you…" the bar girl whispered and looked to the ground when they were all gone. The whole scene had attracted some unwanted attention, but one glare from the Dragon Slayer and they all went back to what they were doing.

"Don't mention it…" he mumbled back and grabbed his bag again.

"…I'm Maria," she spoke a bit lauder and offered a hand, smiling at the man.

"Laxus," he shook the hand and nodded his head. "Let me show you to your room then," she added and motioned to the stairs leading up.

"Those guys come here often?" he asked as they walked.

"Not really… I heard they're some sort of hunters. They've been here for a few weeks now and go from one bar to the other. Everyone in this town knows them already but, other than that, I don't know much. But you won't have to worry… with the way you scared them off, I doubt they'll be back," she giggled.

"Well… happy to help then," he looked to the side, hiding the small blush.

"This is your room," she stopped at the door number 147. "If you need anything, feel free to ask me," she added, bowed before turning to leave.

"Actually," he spoke and made her face him again. "Do you know is this town has any work for a Mage?"

"Hmm… I think you could be able to get something down at the Town Hall. Other than that, not really… this town doesn't have a Wizard Guild so we don't get any requests."

"Ah, thanks," he nodded before opening the door and stepping inside.

* * *

The room wasn't all that big, but it looked comfortable. On the left there was a bathroom while the bed was on the right. In the middle was a couch with a Lacrima TV.

Throwing the bag on the couch, Laxus plopped himself on the bed and let out a sigh of satisfaction. It felt good finally being able to sleep in a bed and not somewhere outside. For a minute or so, he just stared at the roof above him. Sometime after, his stomach growled and he closed his eyes. He hadn't eaten anything to fulfilling since he left Magnolia.

Sighing, he sat up and frowned. "Maybe I should ask if there's a restaurant near by…" he mumbled before getting off the bed and walking out of the room.

Walking back down, he still heard the cheers, yells and fighting and couldn't help but smile. Even when he got down, chairs were in the air, being thrown all over. Being used to things like this, he ducked right under the table that crashed into the wall behind him.

"Oh, Laxus!" Maria called and smiled as she carried a plate of beers.

"Hey… still lively here," he glanced to the side, seeing the chaos getting worse.

"Ah, yeah sorry about that," she scratched the back of her head.

"Nah, it's fine… I was just wondering if you knew anywhere I could get something good to eat. Or maybe buy something…"

"Oh sure! There's a shop a few houses to the left from here. I could show you later if you want."

"I'll be fine," he nodded when a shout of 'Maria! We need a refill here!' was heard. "You clearly have your hands full."

"Sorry, I'm working alone today. Usually my brother helps, but he's sick," she smiled before leaving for the tables.

Heading towards the door, he ducked under a man being thrown across the room with a yell following: "The hell did you say?!" but the blonde left after that.

* * *

**Well, that's the first chapter! I do hope you enjoyed and sorry if it was boring ^^'' Things are going to pick up soon =) Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here is chapter two ^^ I posted it sooner than I normally would, so you guys would get a better feel for the story.**

**I only own the OCs who will appear and the grammar mistakes. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Ch.2 Willing to learn**_

Taking a deep breath as he walked, the sounds from the inn were starting to fade into the background. But because of his Dragon hearing, it was still loud. Laxus still couldn't believe there were people like Fairy Tail anywhere in the world.

The night was cool and the air was fresh. The only source of noise was the inn where he was staying, yet no one seemed to mind it. Walking for a bit, he found the shop Maria told him. Checking the work time, he saw they would still be open for a few hours. Then, somewhere at the entrance were two kids, hugging each other to keep warm. They only wore some cloths around their bodies. Shaking his head, the Dragon Slayer continued walking inside.

When he got in, the warmth greeted him as well as the smell shops usually had. Despite the hour, there still seemed to be a lot people shopping. Putting on his headphones, Dreyar started heading towards the food section.

For a bit, he just tried to find something he could eat quickly and still be satisfied. When he finally found it, it was three pieces of bread and sausages. On the way to the cashier, he grabbed a can of beer.

But when he finally got there, there was a line as he heard shouts. Looking before him, a woman seemed to be begging the seller, as she was clinging to him. The Lighting Mage removed a headphone and listed into what was happening.

"Please! I'm begging you!" the woman was on the verge of crying. Her brown hair was messy and her dress was ripped in most places.

"I'm sorry miss… But I can't sell you anything if you don't have the money…" the man apologized.

"I'll pay tomorrow, I promise! But please, let me buy this! I have two children to feed!" she was shaking.

And she wasn't lying. Outside the shop, the blonde remembered seeing the two. By the looks of it, the woman lost her job some time ago and can't even feed themselves.

"I'm sorry mam…" he repeated.

And then, she started crying. She didn't say anything, only started shedding tears. The people waiting in line looked at each other, shrugging and sighing.

"Miss, I'll have to ask you to leave…" an officer came, gently putting his hands on her shoulders.

"No! I-I can't!" she protested.

"Tch, if you ain't gonna buy anything, then you might as well leave," Laxus coldly started and walked over to the woman.

Looking to the side, he saw what she was trying to buy. Two bottles of milk. As she looked up to him, he saw the horror on her face. Rolling his eyes, Dreyar grabbed the two bottles and said: "Well, she can't buy 'em… No point sendin' it back…" he put them along his line of purchases.

"H-How… You monster!" she yelled, trying to glare at the Mage. She was still shaking as the officer escorted her outside, still yelling: "Damn you! It's because of people like you others suffer!"

When she was out, a silence hung over them until Laxus frowned and said: "Well? Just tell me how much I have to pay."

The seller gulped slightly before showing him the number. Giving the money he had to, Dreyar grabbed the plastic bag with his stuff and walked outside. The kids were gone, and he assumed the woman must have taken them. Clicking his tongue, Laxus sniffed the air before he started walking towards the central park.

* * *

Arriving there, he saw a few couples sharing their happy moments. There were trees all over the park so he had sniffed again, using his Dragon-like sense of smell following a certain scent. Finally finding it, he made his way to the edge where the largest tree was. And there he saw them: the woman and children he saw at the shop. The female was rocking the kids, whispering something, all while crying.

"Oi," the blonde called as he walked towards them.

At his voice, the woman looked up, fear, anger and sadness in her eyes. She tightened the hold on her kids before hissing: "What do you want, monster?"

"Sheesh, relax will you? I'm not gonna hurt ya…" he rolled his eyes and took something of the plastic bag. It was the beer he bought. He opened it and took a sip.

"You got a husband?" he suddenly asked, looking at the children.

"Had… he died some time ago… but what do you care?"

"I don't really… just wanna be nice…" he mumbled.

"Nice? People like you don't know the meaning of the word!"

"Yeah… you're probably right…" he looked up at the full moon. He could feel the anger growing. "But ya know… I'm willing to learn," he looked back down and smiled.

That confused the woman to no end as she blinked a few times. Shaking his head while still smiling, Laxus gently put the plastic bag in front of her and said: "Hope this gets ya though the day."

She was wide eyes and mouth open as she looked from the bag to the man. Her lips were trembling as she seemed to want to say something.

"B-But… why?" was all she managed.

"I don't really know… just tryin' something new," he shrugged, took a sip from the beer before turning around and waving bye. "Take care."

Dreyar knew she would want to say something, something he probably didn't deserve, so he just left, not wanting to hear anything. But one thing followed him. A yell of: "Thank you and bless you!"

Smiling to himself, he heard her crying of joy as she started feeding her kids. He felt a sudden warmness inside. Something he hasn't felt in forever, but he didn't mind.

"I guess... People can change..." he whispered to himself and started walking back to the inn.

* * *

"Oh, you're back already?" Maria asked when he entered the inn. Surprisingly, it was quiet as most of the guys were on the ground, bottles in hands and sleeping over each other.

"Yeah… there wasn't really anything I could make this late…" he mumbled stepping over three men leaning on each other.

"Well, you can order breakfast tomorrow here. I'll be cooking."

"Great."

"Oh… em… Laxus?" she blushed and looked to the ground.

Raising an eyebrow he said: "Yeah?" and waited for her to respond.

"Well… I was just… wondering… if you… um… have a girlfriend…" she shifted slightly as the blonde almost choked.

"Ugh….." he muttered. An image of Mira quickly came to mind. He shook his head and swallowed before saying: "Well… sort of…"

"Sort of?" she repeated; red in the face.

"Well… Em…. Since I'm here and all…. We … um…" he didn't really know what to say.

"O-Oh, no I was just-"

"No I mean… it's not like-"

"I just assumed-"

"Well yeah…. She can be… ya know…"

"Well forget about it!"

"P-Probably for the best."

"Good night!"

"G'night…"

At those words, the two started walking to where they _thought_ were their rooms. But, as it turned out, the girl ended in the kitchen while the boy found himself in the bathroom. Quickly leaving the rooms, they muttered goodnights again before finally arriving at their real rooms.

* * *

"Man… the hell is wrong with me?" Laxus mumbled into the pillow as he lay on the bed.

"Why did I even think of her? She… AGH! Stop it!" he pulled on some of his short hair before calming down a bit. Since he got to his room, he hadn't been able to think properly.

"I swear, Dragneel must have fried some of my brain…" turning on his back, Dreyar let out a long sigh and stared at the ceiling again.

Before his exile, he probably would have tried to get the girl. Hell, he'd get her. But so many things have changed, he could hardly keep up.

"Tch… what am I even doing…?" closing his eyes, he tried to stop all the brooding, but he couldn't.

"_Two more nights… after that I'll probably fly somewhere…_" he started thinking of where to go next after his time was up here. At that reference, he remembered a fight where both Erza and Mira were really pissing him off.

_***Flash back***_

"_Ok, that's it!" Laxus yelled and stood up, knocking over the chair. Everyone in the Guild looked at him with eyes wide open. He hardly ever got this mad._

"_You two! Stop it now!" he glared at the red and white haired girls that were pulling on each other._

"_Ha? Stay out of this Laxus!" they yelled back as the blonde's eye twitched. Walking over to the two, he grabbed each by the ear and pulled them apart._

"_Then how about this?" he let them go and they glared daggers at him, rubbing their ears._

"_If you two can get me on one knee, I'll never get in a fight between you two again."_

"_Ha? Really? Is that all?" the Demon smirked._

"_That's a fair deal. I accept," the Knight got into her battle pose._

"_Oh, and you only got a few minutes. I'll be heading off to a job soon," he smirked back as the three got into a triangle. _

"_Oh crap!" the other members yelped and ran out, hid or got as far as they could. "They'll destroy the Guild! Someone stop them!"_

"_Go!" the three teenagers yelled and charged head on._

_As you'd expect, the two girls couldn't even touch Laxus, let alone knock him down. They did give it their best shot, but it wasn't enough. By the end, Dreyar stood above them as the two panted._

"_Time's up… you didn't get me on one knee…" he grinned, grabbed his bag and left with parting words: "Better not hear you two complain anymore!" _

"_LAXUS!" was heard later, but he was already half out of Magnolia. _

"_They'll probably take it out on someone else… maybe each other…" he thought and chuckled._

_***End of flashback***_

Smiling, the Dragon Slayer found himself drifting off to sleep…

* * *

**And that's the end of the chapter ^^ I hope you enjoyed and if you did, review, follow or favorite. If you have any questions, PM or review, I don't bite =3. Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here's chapter 3! So... I'll probably update this story with one or two chapters per week, usually at Wednesdays and Saturdays/Fridays.**

**Thanks to everyone who's following! It jumped from 2 to 7 in two days :D Sorry for any grammar mistakes, and I only own the OCs. Enjoy!**

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_**Ch.3 Rage control**_

He was woken, by the morning rays of light landing on his face. At first, Laxus just turned to his side, planning to continue sleeping. But that little awakening was enough for his sense to kick in. From down stairs, he heard crashes and yells. Shooting up, he got out of bed, put on a shirt and quickly made his way down. The shouts were getting louder and he knew who had arrived.

"C'mon Maria," a man smirked and leaned onto the bar. He had medium long silver hair and a skull mark on his cheek.

"No… I told you, he's not here anymore…" she whispered back, hands gripped at the counter.

"Don't screw with me! I know he booked a room here!" the man hissed and made the girl take a step back. She was shaking as other men destroyed the inn. Some of the partiers from last night had tried to fight back, but the other men were well rested and more experienced in fighting.

"Jim! Get your ass here!" the man yelled as the said man came to the bar.

"Yea boss?"

"Tell me, you heard right? That the blonde man that beat you was staying here?"

"Yeah."

"Oi!" the three then directed their eyes at the stairs, where a certain Lightning Mage was standing, glaring at everyone around.

"Laxus!" Maria called, fear and happiness in her voice.

"So… you're the punk that bet my boys up?" the boss raised an eyebrow as everyone turned to him.

"Beat 'em up? I never even touched one of 'em," Dreyar answered walking closer to the boss.

"Really now? 'Cause Jim here has a different story."

"Well he's lying. He almost shit himself when he found out I'm a Mage."

"Hmm… who am I gonna believe? One of my boys, or some freak that thinks he's though stuff?"

"I suggest you leave… I don't wanna wreck this place any more than you already did."

"Ha? Man you're really starin' to piss me off kid," the ground started shaking as magic energy surrounded the two.

"If you wanna do this the hard way, let's take it out side. Wouldn't want one of your 'boys' to collapse from the magic power."

"Sure… Central Park. Ten minutes," and with that, the energy died down as the man started walking, his followers closely behind.

"Don't chicken out, wizard freak," was the last remark before they left the inn.

* * *

"T-Thank you… again…" Maria whispered, helping a few of the men that got knocked down.

"Sure…" he mumbled, leaning on the bar. It was **far** to early for this...

"Damn that bastard," someone called, holding his head.

"Yeah I'll say… The hell gives Mortimer the right to do this?" another mumbled.

"He's a Mage ain't he?" Laxus asked, looking at the people.

"Yeah… he can control the earth or somethin'…"

"Are you really going to fight him?" the girl asked, worry in her words.

"I have to… it's sort of a rule… we never back down from a challenge."

"We?"

"…Yeah…" he looked to the side and she got the hint. He didn't want to talk about it.

"Well… Just be careful okay?" she bit her lip.

"Yeah, don't worry," he smiled and patted her head before walking out of the inn and towards the park. Even if he's rather sleep, a challenge is a challenge. He'll just have to get it together on his way there.

* * *

"So you came?" Mortimer was already there, waiting and smirking.

"Why wouldn't I?" Laxus' face was emotionless as he arrived before the boss.

People had gathered there, waiting to see what will happen. News seemed to spread like wild fire here as well. But the blonde couldn't see or smell the woman from last night. That somehow made his glad, as he didn't want them anywhere near this battle.

"Don't know. You just seem like the type that's never been in a fight before."

"Oh? Says the senile old man calling me a freak when he's a wizard to."

"Ain't callin' ya a freak 'cause you're a Mage. But because you are a real monster."

"What gave you that impression?"

"The scar, blonde hair, tall guy… I know who you are," the smirk grew as their magic energy clashed again.

"Do you now?" the Dragon Slayer narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah… Laxus Dreyar if I'm not mistaken."

The watcher gasped and looked at each other, whispering this or that. The blonde frowned. He always hated this. When people knew him just because he was 'Dreyar'. He was just waiting for someone to say that one sentence…

"The grandson of the Master of Fairy Tail?!" and there it was…

"And son of Ivan! Master of Raven Tail!" another thing he'll never be able to escape.

"Member of Fairy Tail huh? Oh wait… former member… From what a little bird told me, you got kicked out," Mortimer was pushing his buttons. But Laxus wouldn't bite that easy.

"It happens. Can't help it now can I?" he shot back, nothing betraying him.

"Man, have the mighty have fallen! You were

supposed to be the strongest wizard in the Guild! But you got beat by whom, two little punks? Pathetic!"

"Those two little punks could probably destroy you and your whole gang."

"That so? Well can you?"

"Want me to find out?"

"Ha! Like you could! You've had that group of flunkies do all the dirty jobs for you! What was the name again…? Thunder… Thunder League or somethin'?"

"Ain't my fault they wanted to do the jobs," by now, Laxus had clenched fists as electricity cracked around him.

"Man! Fairy Tail really is a dump! I mean seriously! The hell were they thinking-" before he could finish, Dreyar charged forward with lightning speed, anger in his eyes.

* * *

As his fist was about to connect with the boss, a wall of earth was raised from the ground and blocked his attack. The audience was in awe as they didn't even see the attack.

"Hit a nerve did I?" Mortimer smirked and perked from the wall.

"Say what you want about me… but no way I'm lettin' you trash talk my Guild!" Laxus hissed, lightning gathering in his mouth.

The man opened his eyes wide and jumped back from the wall just in time as the blonde used **Lightning Dragon Roar** to demolish the earth wall.

"Wow… I haven't seen that kind of lightning before…" he muttered, swallowing when he saw the electric aura around the Dragon Slayer.

"I really should thank you…" Laxus spoke and turned to face the boss again. "This little sparring match will help me with my powers…"

"Huh? Powers? You can't control it can you?" a victorious appeared on his face for some reason.

"Not yet… you're gonna help!" with that, Dreyar yelled gathering magic in his hands. His torso grew a bit, not as much as his fight against the other two Dragon Slayers, but enough to stun most of the public and hunters watching.

"**Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist**!" he yelled and did a punching motion, releasing lightning magic the size of his fist towards the man.

Gulping, Mortimer put both hands on the earth and created a dome around himself, half blocking the attack. The other half missed him and flew straight into the trees behind him, destroying them. Part of the dome was destroyed, so they could see Mortimer panting and shaking.

"T-The hell? Y-You're a-a Dragon Slayer?!" he shouted.

"I'm not done!" the blonde hissed throwing one hand in the air and gathering lighting in one large ball. "**Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! Raging Bolt**!" he chanted, giving his opponent just enough time to try and defend. Punching the ground, Mortimer whispered a chant of his own: "**Oh, great earth, bestowed upon humans by the guardian of the weak, rise now to stop the thunder flashing in the sky. Rock Skin Defense**!" and with that, the earth encased him in what seemed to be armor.

When the Lightning spell was released, it flew directly at the man, clashing with his stone armor. Most of the watchers screamed and ran as lightning shot down from the sky, even if they weren't the target, it landed pretty close to them.

A yell was heard as some of the earth armor broke down, yet when the attack was finished and the smoke cleared, Mortimer was still alive. Panting, his armor gone and on his knees, but alive.

* * *

"Ha…ha…ha… I guess… I'm stronger…" he managed, looking at the Mage before him.

"That… was your most… powerful attack… you can't… win."

"Who said anything about that being my most powerful attack?" Laxus put both hands above his head and started gathering more magic as the man on his knees watched in horror. He couldn't believe this.

"I'm going to kill you for what you said about Fairy Tail!" his attack, **Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd**, was almost complete as he was lost in blind rage again. He wasn't thinking about anything expect hatred. And that's when he heard a voice.

"_**Laxus… calm yourself…**_" he inhaled sharply as the magic vanished along with his concentration.

"G-Gramps?" he whispered, turning around to see if the old man was anywhere near. But he wasn't, yet Laxus saw something else. The complete destruction he caused.

Almost all the trees were gone, the grass dead and people yelling and screaming in fear. He had been the one to do this. Shame washed over him as he gritted his teeth and took a deep, calm breath. As he calmed, so did the lighting around the park. But everyone was already gone, fearing if they stayed any longer, they'd die...

"Sorry… gramps," he mumbled and looked at Mortimer. The man had fallen to the ground and was out cold due to the fear. Biting his lip, Dreyar grabbed the man and swung him over his shoulder before walking back to the inn.

"I can't stay here any longer…"

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter! Hope you enjoyed, and if you did, tell me what you think by reviewing ^^ Sorry if it was a bit disappointing, but Laxus had to be 'stopped' on his own... **

**Oh, and any review posted by registered members I'll answer you back there, while guests' answers will be posted in the following chapter at the beginning. Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here's chapter 4. Posted it today, because I won't have time tomorrow. Next is coming on Saturday =) And this one might be a bit shorter, but I didn't want to just throw something in =/**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Hope you enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.4 Leaving**_

"Laxus you're-" Maria started, but dropped the glass she was holding when she saw the man. His shirt was ripped in a few places and looked like he just ran a marathon. On top of that, he had Mortimer around his neck, who seemed to be out cold.

"W-What happened?" she rushed to them and looked from one man to the other.

"…Long story… Just get him some help," Laxus mumbled and put the man down on a table.

"W-What about you?" she panicked when she saw the blonde head to the stairs. He stopped in his tracks, head low and voice quiet: "…I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Why? Where to?"

"Don't know yet… but I can't stay here."

"What do you mean? Just because you-"

"It's not about that!" he still didn't face her, only gripped the railing on the stairs tighter. "I just have to go… that's all there is to it…" and with that, he walked up the stairs to his room.

Slamming the door shut, Laxus slid with his back to it down and put his face into his hands. He could feel sweat streaming down his temples and forehead as he took quick breathes to try and stay calm.

"This power… I can't stay near people… I need to leave… get away from everyone…" he whispered to himself, swallowing and looking up.

"_Why did I… I mean… I've never been this angry… Even before when I heard others talk smack about our Guild… it was never this bad… So why_?" he asked himself over and over again, trying to figure out just what happened that _made_ him snap. Or more, why he snapped _like_ _that_.

_***Flashback***_

"_How can you just let them get away with this?!" an 18 year old Laxus clenched his fists._

"_Laxus… It was nothing to get upset about…" Makarov calmly stated._

"_Gramps! They stole our job from us! Firs we do all the hard work, and in the end they take all the credit! That's just wrong!"_

"_And why is that? We still got paid."_

"_Yeah, but now everyone will think Fairy Tail is weak! Don't you care about that?"_

"_Laxus… the only important thing are the bonds we have with each other… In Fairy Tail, everyone is family. That is more important than reputation."_

"_Tch, whatever! When the Guild is at a loss for money, don't come crawling to me!"_

"_Laxus… you need to learn that you are also part of this family… What happened to you? You used to be the one everyone saw smiling…"_

"_That was a lifetime ago! I've seen the world for what it really is! Those guys!" he pointed to the door that leads to the Guild Hall. _"_They have no idea what's in stored for them!"_

"_Yet everything is also not black and white. There are many views on the world Laxus."_

"_Yeah right… What an old fool like you sees isn't what I see…" and with that, the blonde left._

_***End of flashback***_

* * *

"So… does this mean I care about the Guild? I should have listened to you, way back then…" a smile appeared on his lips. At that age, he never listened to anyone. After his father was kicked out, the only one that could get him to do anything was his grandfather and even he was starting to lose control. But he would still hang out with Mira and the Thunder Legion. At least… until Lisanna died… After that, a lot of things changed in the Guild. Laxus started doing more jobs, staying away from the Guild for a long period of time.

"Because I couldn't stand it…" he mumbled, leaning his head on the door.

"The broken smile Mira always gave… the guilt Elfman reeked of… The strange disappointment always around Cana… Natsu and Gray fighting over pointless things… and Gildarts wasn't even home… some thought he actually got killed… Fairy Tail… it was starting to change… and I couldn't stand that… I didn't want it to change…" he looked at the celling, eyes full of sadness.

The room was only partly lit as the sun was the only source of light. Getting to his feet, Dreyar shook his head to clear his mind of all thoughts. He had to get out of here, so he walked over to the couch and grabbed his bag.

"It won't take long until everyone knows what happened…" he mumbled and quickly made his way down, hoping to get out of town before that. But he was to late…

"Laxus…" Maria whispered when she saw him, tears in her eyes as the men from last night looked at him with mixed expressions. Some showed fear, anger and hatred while some sympathy, pity and confusion.

"Don't worry… I'm leaving…" he mumbled as he walked past some of them.

"…Be safe…" his hearing allowed him to pick up that line from the girl, before closing the inn door behind him.

"_Where to…_?" he asked himself as he walked, not even sure where he was.

"_Stella is next to Bosco, but I want to skip that… Last time I was there, we almost caused a riot with the Raijinshu… Joya is after that… Yes, that'd be a perfect place to train… hardly anyone lives in the high mountains surrounding it…_" he then stopped and looked at the sky.

It was in the middle of the day and people were probably going to be everywhere. He didn't want to take a train during the day, so that only left him one option.

"_I'll have to travel in my lighting form then…"_ he gathered the magic in his body as he transformed into a lightning bolt and started flying across the sky.

Thanks to the speed of the skill, hardly anyone noticed it, but any who did, only saw a flash, so they didn't pay it much mind. There was just one reason Laxus doesn't use this too much on long distance… It drains his magic quickly.

For battle, yes it's amazing, but for travel, it can leave you out of energy for a few hours. But he'll get through it. Make it part of the training. The first part he had to learn was to control his anger. It sounds easier said than done, but he'll try. Just like the first tried flying in this form…

* * *

_***Flashback***_

"_Gramps! Look at what I can do!" a 10 year old Laxus smiled as Makarov watched. Concentrating, the boy's legs were engulfed in lightning first and then his arms, chest and finally head. _

"_Impressive Laxus," the Master was generally in awe at how fast the boy was learning._

"_Look!" Laxus smiled and started zipping across the Guild._

"_Careful Laxus! You're going very fast!" the old man called._

_And a good thing he did, as the blonde just managed to lean to the side to avoid slamming into a pillar. But, at the lean, he lost balance and went too low and towards a table where Cana was practicing her magic._

"_Watch out!" he yelled, eyes wide open as he prepared to crash._

"_Ha?" the burnet looked up and yelped when the Lightning Mage hit the table, sending drinks, cards and pieces of wood flying everywhere._

"_Aw!" the two kids groaned as they sat up._

"_Oi, Laxus! Be more careful!" Wakaba yelled; his shirt stained with beer._

"_Ah, sorry old man," the blonde stuck his tongue out before getting to his feet and offering Alberona a hand._

"_Don't worry! I'll master it soon!" he smiled as the mood changed back into the way it was before, with everyone laughing, drinking and even fighting._

"_You know… that looks pretty cool…" Alberona smiled._

"_Right? My dad helped me get this strong."_

"_Did it hurt?"_

"_Yeah a bit… But it's all fine now. He even promised to take me with him next time!"_

"_Oh, that so cool… I wish I had a father like that…" she looked at the ground._

"_You'll always have the Guild! And we're a family here!" he smiled and tried to cheer her up. And it worked as she smiled along with him._

_***End of flashback***_

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter! Again, for the the shortness and the double flashbacks =X Tell me what you think by reviewing ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

**And here comes chapter 5! Now we enter a new part of the story, and I hope you won't mind the jumping =x**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.5 Mountain **_

Laxus had been flying in his Lightning form for three days, with a break every now and then. He just really wanted to get to Joya as fast as he could. Right now, he was flying and was currently on the edge the county Stella. But, the long term use of this spell was starting to show, as his focus was fading as well as his energy.

"_Tch, c'mon… I'm almost there…_" he told himself and gritted his teeth. It wasn't even very comfortable traveling like this, but it beat any trains or carriages.

And there, he could finally see the high mountains of Joya. From what he heard, this is the place where Jewels were originally created and that all the big cities are full of rich people, fine furniture and lots of statues.

But as he was coming closer, he saw dark clouds have started gathering. The wind picked up and rain started falling as it now got even harder to control.

"Wonderful," he spoke though gritted teeth and fought for control. The wind was so strong, it actually pushed him back. And if he ran out of magic now or undid the spell, well… he'd take a long, cold and quick fall down to earth into the rock bellow.

"There's rain… there's wind… but no lightning? Seriously?" as he hissed, the wind increased tenfold and he couldn't keep up with it.

His balance faded, control gone and concentration weak and he started falling. Electricity still surrounded him as he tried to stable himself, but it was in vain. Anything he tried was pointless as the wind was too strong and the earth gravitation was taking action.

"_Damn it! This is gonan hurt_!" he managed to put his arms in front of his face and closed his eyes as he could see the ground.

In a few seconds, he found himself hitting something hard and breaking something, not sure if it was the object he hit or his own bones. Yet that didn't stop the falling. He crashed a few more things, slid across the cold, hard ground before sliding into a huge pile of snow.

When he finally stopped, he couldn't move and breathe. He just stayed like that for a few seconds, thinking if he was dead or maybe still alive.

"_If I'm dead, I can't feel anything right_?" he told himself and moved his left arm, and had to bite his tongue as to not scream from the pain.

"Defiantly alive…" he uttered, moving extremely slowly and struggling to even dig himself out of the snow he landed in.

When he finally did, he gasped for air and started coughing. Dreyar had wanted to sit up, but as moving his arms and legs was extremely painful, that'll have to wait for a bit.

* * *

"How the hell did I survive?" he asked no one, staring weakly before him and saw nothing but snow and stone for miles. Then again, there was a snow storm going on as he lay flat on his back.

"_Wonderful… I can't even move…_" he thought and looked at the sky above him. The storm was starting to get worse and now he could hear thunder behind the clouds.

"Now it comes…" Dreyar rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. Maybe he could just wait until he's able to move again…

"_**Pathetic…**_" he heard someone whisper, yet it was a voice he knew.

"_No… it's not him… he can't be…_" closing his eyes, Laxus took a few calm breathes.

"_**And you call yourself a Mage? You're a disgrace to our name**_!" the voice hissed.

"_He's not real… this isn't real… Don't let him-_"

"_**You, your Guild… even that fool Makarov… you are all pathetic**_!"

"Shut up!" suddenly, the Dragon Slayer found the strength to stand and glare at where he thought a man was standing. But, there was no one… Looking for his bag, he found it under the snow as well.

"_Damn him… Even half across the world he still haunts me…_" the pain from the fall was still strong, but Laxus managed to push through it and walk further. But he was quickly losing energy, as the rain only increased and the cold got stronger.

"_I'm-I'm gonna freeze like this_," he hugged himself to try and keep warm, and planned to use his magic to get some heat, but it didn't really work. His magic was at almost zero…

"_C'mon… the c-city odda be… d-down here,_" he kept telling himself, gritting his teeth. And just then, he heard yells and shouts.

Looking to the left, he saw a moving light in the darkness, and a figure behind it. Another shout and this time, Laxus called back: "Oi!"

The light shifted again and started moving towards him. Dreyar was still debating if that was a good idea or not, but when he finally managed to understand what was being yelled, he inwardly sighed in relief.

"H-Hello! Are you alright? I um… something crash into my barn! When I came out, I saw a trail… Just what happened?" it was man, around his 40is with short brown hair. He held an umbrella above the two.

"Long story… You wouldn't happen to know where the way down to the city is would you?"

"Yes, but you won't make it in this storm… why don't you come with me. Stay until it passes… and let my wife see if you're hurt anywhere badly…"

"Well e… I wouldn't wanna intrude…" Laxus just didn't want to get near people at the moment…

"Of course not! Now come!" the man motioned to follow as the two walked towards a house, that the Lighting Mage clearly missed.

"What's your name stranger?"

"Laxus."

"I'm Ciel. Well, you must be something, if you are what crashed into my barn… Let me guess… a Mage?"

"Yeah… and sorry about the barn," the two then arrived at the small house, with one light lit.

* * *

"Honey! I'm back!" the man called when they entered the hall. Laxus quickly allowed the warmth to engulf him, as a blue-haired woman came running into the hall.

"Ciel! You're alright!" she hugged him tight before looking at the stranger. "And who is this?" she grabbed a towel and gave it to the blonde. With a quick 'thanks', the Mage tried to get dry.

"He said he's the one that crashed into the barn. Found him almost frozen outside."

"Oh my… let me see you," she walked closer and first eyed his face and then told him to take off his shirt.

"We better get you out of that… Your clothes are completely soaked. I'm sure my husband has something that will fit you."

"Ah… you really don't have to…"

"No, no we insist. It wouldn't be very polite to leave a young man to get a cold now would it?" Ciel smiled before heading off to the bedroom and getting some garments.

"Oh, we haven't introduced ourselves," the wife quickly put out her hand. "I'm Lyle."

"Laxus and thanks for the help…" he smiled and shook her hand.

"Not a problem. Now, let's see…" she looked over his well-built chest and couldn't help but giggle as he looked at her.

"Well… nothing seems to be too badly broken, a rib or two... But your left arm is dislocated… this might hurt a bit," she looked at him, as the blonde nodded. A few moments later, Lyle took hold of his arm and placed it back correctly, as Laxus gritted his teeth.

"Other than that, you seem fine," she smiled before her eyes rested on the black tattoo he had.

"That's an interesting tattoo you have."

"Oh, yeah thanks…"

"But… why is it missing something?" she put a hand on his left abdomen, right under the tattoo and then to the small bit on his side.

His eyes opened a bit as he looked down as well. That spot… it was where his Guild Mark used to be, before he got exiled. When he first joined, he wanted the mark to close to his heart, so he had it placed there. But when he got older… when Fairy Tail started changing, he wanted to hide it. That's why he put a tattoo there, told others the mark was part of it. But now that it was gone, he felt empty. And nothing he did would fill it.

"Long story," he mumbled when she pulled back and apologized for getting into his personal life.

* * *

"Here… I hope this fits you," Ciel came back with a black T-Shirt, jeans and a coat.

"Thanks," Laxus took the clothes and got dressed.

"If I can ask…" he added and looked at the two. "Why do you live here?"

"Well… we make our living here. There's a rare plant around that can cure any sort of sickness. It can only be grown here, so we can't move," they explained and smiled.

"Any sort of sickness? Like… motion sickness too?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but only for a certain period of time," Lyle giggled at the blonde's expression.

"Come Laxus! You must be hungry!" Ciel patted the boy on the back and motioned to the kitchen. As if on cue, the Mage's stomach growled as the partners laughed.

"Better make it a double then. The boy is hungry!" the husband added as they walked into the kitchen, thunder clashing and lightning flashing in the sky.

"It's getting pretty bad outside…" the wife spoke with worry in her voice and looked out the window.

"Yeah… we haven't had a storm this bad in a long time…" Ciel mused before looking at Dreyar.

"You don't have to eat so fast! We aren't going to take your food," he laughed as Laxus stopped to look at him, spoon in his mouth.

"Ah... sorry… Where I come from, that usually happened," he gave an apologetic smile.

"Where are you from?"

"Oh… all the way from Bosco," he lied.

"Really? We have a niece there! Maria," they smiled and showed him a picture. As he thought, it was the girl from Haven.

"She seems nice," he nodded, eating some more of the delicious noodle soup. Well, to someone as hungry as him, almost anything would be delicious.

"Indeed she is! But the poor thing runs a bar with her brother… I sometimes can't help but think what might happen if a man tries anything…"

"There's always someone to save the day," he smiled as more lighting flashed. It was so close, that the partners jumped slightly, while the Dragon Slayer calmly looked outside.

"_This could be the perfect time to train…_" he told himself as thunder followed.

* * *

**And here we start the new part. I hope you enjoyed, and tell me what you think by reviewing ^^ Until then~**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here's chapter 6! Quick warning, as the title states, this one will be a bit more depressing than the rest =X Oh, and it's also a bit longer =/**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.6 Fate is cruel**_

"So… what actually happened to you boy?" the two then directed their attention to Laxus as he was spacing out, staring at the storm.

"Oh, I was just flying above when I got caught in the storm and crashed… you know the rest," he was brought back to reality.

"You can fly? Incredible!" Lyle smiled as her eyes shone with excitement.

"You'll have to forgive her… she has this admiration for every Mage that can fly…" Cile scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, well I don't really mind…" he mumbled and remembered a certain point with the Raijinshu.

_***Flashback***_

"_We need a name…" a 15 year old Freed mumbled and put a finger on his chin._

"_Yeah, needs to be somethin' awesome and cool!" Bickslow, 17 years, laughed._

"_Not to mention graceful," Evergreen with the age of 15 threw some of her hair back._

"_Just make up your minds…" an 18 year old Laxus rolled his eyes._

"_Well… what do you want? We are your bodyguards," Justine turned to his idol._

"_I don't know…"_

"_Hmm… Lightning Squad!" Bix looked at the others who shook their heads._

"_Bringers of the Storm," Ever smiled, but the idea was refused as well._

"_Something more intimidating…" Dreyar let out a sigh._

"_I have an idea," the Dark looked at his friends. "Well? Spill it!" they yelled when he was quiet._

"_Thunder Legion, Thunder God Tribe or simply Raijinshu," he smiled and looked at them. _

_The three seemed to be thinking about it, but they smiled. "Why not all three?"_

"_Yeah! Thunder Legion!"_

"_Raijinshu… a beautiful name."_

"_Thunder God huh? Not too shabby."_

"_I'm so happy he liked it," Freed said to himself and shed tears of joy._

_***End of flashback***_

"Laxus?" the voices of the partners brought him back once more as he shook his head.

"Oh, sorry… just lost in thought," he finished the bowl of soup.

"Maybe you should get some rest… after everything that happened, you must be tired."

"…Maybe," he mumbled lowering his eyes.

"Well, you can have our son, Julian's room," they smiled as they guessed what he was thinking. Dreyar didn't want to cause them trouble, but he assumed they wouldn't let him sleep on the couch.

"Son's?"

"Yes… He left a few years ago to work in the Capital City – Diamond. We were having a bit financial difficulties so he decided to leave… he was such a nice boy," the mother smiled sadly.

"Oh, I see…" the blonde muttered.

"Well then, follow me," Lyle smiled, stood up and started walking down the hall, the Mage following suit.

* * *

"This is it. Hope you're comfortable," she smiled and opened a door, revealing a dark room.

"I won't complain," he smiled before walking inside and switching on the lights.

The room was neat and everything was in place. It was clear that it hasn't been used in a long time, yet had that warm feeling to it.

"Oh, and since you mentioned motion sickness back then," Lyle smiled and reached into a pocket, before taking out an herb. It was blue-green with bits of yellow mixed in. "This is the plant we grow. It's called Kamilica," she then handed it to Laxus who looked from the plan to the woman.

"Are you sure I can take this?" he blinked; making sure it was all real.

"Of course! We have plenty!" she giggled before whishing 'good night' and leaving for the kitchen yet again.

* * *

"_I shouldn't stay here long…_" his smile vanished as he sat on the bed. The two even took his bag, making sure everything would be dry.

"And there's no way I can sleep with that outside…" he murmured and looked out the window, watching the lighting flash.

Even when he was a child, he couldn't sleep with storms outside. Not because he was scared, just the opposite. He wanted to go out and let it rain all over him, while absorbing the lighting and screaming along with the thunder. He always found comfort in it.

Sighing, he looked around the room a bit more. Next to the bed was a night table, across it a wardrobe and a table in the far left corner. But his attention was drawn on the framed picture handing next to the window, left to the table.

Standing up, Laxus walked over it and looked at it in more detail. He saw both Lyle and Ciel, a few years younger probably, with a green-haired boy smiling. He looked like he was about 16 or 17 and was clearly their son, as the two were hugging him.

"_17… that's about the age I was when he left…_" his thoughts drifted off to a day he'd never forget.

_***Memory***_

"Dad… why are you packing so much?" Laxus asked, slight worry and concern in his voice. As he stood in the hall of his and his father's house, Ivan had been packing almost everything that belonged to him.

"If you were wise, you'd do the same!" Ivan hissed back and glared at his son. The blonde, slightly taken back the action, swallowed.

"But seriously… what happened? Gramps called in his office, there was yelling… but when you came out you just went home and started packing," he recalled the events a bit nervous.

"Use your head for a change Laxus! What do you think happened!" the father snapped, almost throwing the books he was taking along to the ground.

"H-He wouldn't… expel you… I mean… he doesn't have a reason…" now there was fear in his words as his stomach twisted.

"You fool… Makarov will do anything he pleases… he doesn't want me here anymore, fine! I'll just make my own Guild!" Ivan then continued to mumble something Laxus didn't understand.

His head was in chaos at the thought that his father was being kicked out of the Guild. And just when he finally got S-Class.

Without another word, the blonde ran out of the house and towards the Guild. He had to know if it was true. The old man wouldn't do that would he? It was just a joke… right?

"Gramps! Where are you?!" he called and almost threw the front doors off. Other members raised their heads to give him a raised eyebrow or wired look, but he ignore it all.

"The Master is in his office… why do you need him?" Erza asked, pointing to the top floor.

"None of your business," he whispered coldly and quickly made his way past her, as she looked in shock.

"Gramps!" he busted thought the door and yelled. The Master had his back turned to the door and was staring out the window. He didn't turn around to face his grandson.

"Tell me he's laying… that it's all a bad joke!" he almost begged.

"I'm afraid it's the truth…" he whispered back, knowing what the teenager was talking about.

"B-But why?"

"He endangered the lives of his fellow Guild mates… I can not let it slip by…" as he slowly turned around, Laxus stood very still, his hair falling over his face to hide his eyes.

"I see…" was a weak reply, until the boy turned around and reached for the door.

"I'm sorry Laxus, but that's how things have always been… Ivan is not exception…"

Without saying anything else, the grandson left the room and slowly walked down the Guild hall, as everyone talked about the upcoming Fantasia Parade.

"So Laxus, you going to be part of it again right?" Wakaba smiled.

"No… I'll pass…" and with that, he left to go home… Maybe he'd get to say bye to his father…

_***End of memory***_

* * *

A week after, news of what happened with his father spread all over Magnolia. Looks and whispers of pity, mock and confusion circled around. And a few days before the parade, the Master summoned the Lighting Mage, asking him why he won't participate… And we all know how that went…

His thoughts were interrupted by something shattering, followed by a scream and yell. Quickly running out of the room, he made his way to the kitchen, where Lyle and Ciel were. When he entered the kitchen, he saw the man hugging the woman as lighting and thunder raged outside and rain was flowing into the room through the shattered window.

"What happened? You alright?" he quickly checked them before looking outside. The storm was only going to get worse and at the rate the wind was blowing, it could probably blow away the house.

"F-Fine… but the storm… it's out of control," Ciel explained and helped his wife to stand.

"We have never had anything this strong… I'm worried…" Lyle whispered, still shaking.

In the next moment, lighting struck something not too far from the house and lit it on fire. The flames were eating away at something Laxus didn't know, but the partners looked outside with horror and disbelieve.

"N-No! Please, don't let it be!" the husband yelled, leaning out the window to get a better look.

"T-The Kamilica… Is-Is it on fire?" the wife was barely hearable.

"We can't lose it!" he yelled and ran towards the door before either of them could stop him.

"Oi wait! It's too dangerous!" the Mage yelled and dashed after the man.

"You wait here! I'll bring him back!" he called back to Lyle, who was about to collapse.

* * *

"Ciel! You need to get back inside!" Laxus yelled as he saw the man trying to put out the fire.

"I can't leave this! This is our whole life! If we lose the Kamilica, we won't be able to make a living anymore!" the man shouted back, trying to be louder than the thunder.

"What good is it to you if you're dead?!" Dreyar yelled as the husband turned to face him, body shaking and tears mixing with the heavy rain.

"I-I…" he started but a thunder so loud snapped that made the blonde wince. A few seconds later, a bolt of lightning was aimed directly at the brunet. He had already closed his eyes, bracing for the pain as his wife yelled his name at the top of her lungs.

Reacting in a moment, the Dragon Slayer threw one arm into the air, as the blot changed direction from the man to the Mage. But that wasn't the end… Absorbing that one blast attracted even more and more. Ciel collapsed to the ground in fear as Lyle couldn't utter a single sound anymore.

"G-Get… inside!" the Mage hissed through gritted teeth, focusing on taking in the lightning. But the husband didn't move… he just sat there, on the snow.

"CIEL!" Lyle yelled again, and suddenly the ground started to shake.

The exact same thought ran through all three of them, as they couldn't believe this was coming as well. Daring too look above them, to the mountains above, they saw the huge piles of snow that started running down the mountains.

"_A-A landslide_!" they yelled in their heads, fear shaking their cores.

"_I-I can't do everything! Lose focus here, they're fried! But if I don't stop the landside, we're all gonna be buried alive_!" Laxus hissed in his head, wincing as the lighting blots kept coming.

"_N-No way…_" he closed his eyes and fell on one knee, trying to keep the lighting on himself.

"W-We're going to die…" he heard Ciel whisper as he looked at the approaching snow.

Then the two partners looked at each other, realization hitting them. This was their end… nothing that they do now will matter… So they mouthed their last words of 'I love you' before the pile of snow covered them and the Mage, as the house was dragged away and thunder and lightning continued to light the sky.

There was no screaming… there wasn't time, as the landslide went down the mountains, dragging everything in its path along the way…

* * *

**This isn't the end of the second part, don't worry =) But, it will be the saddest one of all, at least I think so since everyone has a different view. Anyway... if you liked it review and tell me what you think ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter 7! Sorry for the cliffhanger last time, hope this sort of makes it up ^^'' And it's another long one... hope you don't mind **

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.7 Dream or nightmare?**_

There was darkness everywhere he looked. It was also very cold, but he didn't know why. Or why his whole body was in so much pain. There was throbbing in his head, as he couldn't remember anything. Even his own name was a question.

"_Where… am I_?" his voice echoed in the dark. "_What happened…?"_ another echo.

"_**Pitiful**_!" it suddenly hissed and made the man turn around, but there was no one… nothing, only more darkness.

"_**Who's there**_?" the man quickly turned, wondering who had spoken. A fain light surrounded a tall figure with black hair and beard with a frown on his face.

"_**If you've forgotten me… Then it truly is time for you to die**_," the voice was heavy and almost demanding, yet something was so familiar about it that it scared the man.

"_**You've always been weak, Laxus… and nothing, you, me, the fool Makarov or anyone does will change that!**_" with each word the voice grew louder and louder, dripping with more and more hate and poison. "_**You deserve to die!**_" was the last thing straw before something snapped inside Laxus' mind as he screamed. He remembered everything, everyone and knew, that by all rights, he should be dead.

"_Maybe I'm just waiting to freeze to death…"_ the blonde told himself, eyes empty and full of sadness. And that's when another voice echoed, this one strong, yet kind and gentle. "_**Laxus… where are you that my heart hurts…"**_ and the Dragon Slayer knew who it belonged to. He just couldn't believe it.

"_**G-Gramps**_?" he asked weakly, looking up to see a ray of bright light tear apart some of the darkness.

"_**Have you fallen somewhere into a pit of despair…? Or have you done something you never should have…?**_"

"_**G-Gramps! I-I'm fine-" **_Laxus cut himself off and lowered his head._** "Yeah right…. I ain't fine…I'm gonna die here…"**_

"_**My boy, just remember, no matter what you do, no matter what happens, Fairy Tail shall always be your home and we will forgive what you've done, so don't give up… Never give up!"**_

"_**Gramps… Yeah, you're right… Don't worry; I'll get past this, no sweat. Just you wait**_," a smile appeared on his face as the ray of light got stronger and bigger, until it completely broke off the darkness.

And when the darkness was gone, Dreyar finally opened his eyes, to be greeted by the sun.

* * *

"W-We found another one! He seems to still be alive!" a shout was heard, but the blonde was in too much shock to think properly. He was still hard on believing he was alive. So when the medical crew came rushing to him, Laxus didn't even move.

That's when he realized he was sitting, half his body still in the snow. The adrenalin he had worn off and with it, pain returned. Dreyar was also able to hear the crew, asking him anything, telling each other what to do and whispering what was wrong.

But the Dragon Slayer couldn't respond properly. A minute later, the crew dug him out and carefully lifted his body onto a stretcher.

"_Why can't… I move or speak…?"_ the question rang in his mind as he stared at the sky above before he was put into an ambulance.

The medics that were around kept a close eye on him, checking his pulse, eyesight and everything else and with each check, they'd speak: "He's paralyzed! The nerves have been damaged, but not beyond repair. He also seems to have a concussion, 5 broken ribs and a springer elbow. It's a miracle he's alive…" a doc reported.

"Actually… it all thanks to his powers," another one mumbled and bandaged the blonde's torso.

"What do you mean, Doctor Moon?"

"He is a Mage with the power of lightning… I don't know what happened before he got caught in the landslide, but it would seem he instinctively put up an electric field that knocked back half the snow and helped him survive. That, and the heat created from the lightning melted some of the snow, turning it into water and thus, doing next to no damage… The only reason he's beat up so bad is because he probably slid across hard terrain and sharp rocks," Moon explained as every medic looked in awe. Even Dreyar was surprised at how much the man knew, while he himself had no real idea what happened. And that's when something hit him.

"_The other two… Ciel and Lyle… did they make it_?" his chest tightened as he struggled to swallow. He tried opening his mouth, yet he couldn't. The best he managed was a groan.

"Oh… you can't even speak?" Moon suddenly turned to look the Dragon Slayer in the eyes. "Ah, I see… those two… I think it's best for you to wait and be out of danger…" he whispered, face grim and eyes turning to the side.

"_Oh, please God don't let it be… T-They can't_-" Laxus didn't care at the moment how the doc knew his thoughts, only that he didn't want to believe those words.

"Calm down young man… Stressing out like this won't help anyone," Moon spoke a bit louder and almost demanding, as the rest of the medics noticed what was going on.

"Oh, Doctor Moon's using his telepathy to talk to the patient…" someone whispered as the rest nodded and continued their work.

"_Y-You're a telepath_?" a bit of panic raised in his head. Now he knew the man could hear him.

"_**Indeed I am…**_" this time, he spoke telepathically and smiled.

"_Please… just tell me… did they make it?_" Laxus could have sworn he heard his own voice breaking.

"_**...**__**I**_-" but he stopped when one of the medics called his name.

"Doctor! We're here!" they called as the ambulance stopped and the back doors opened. As quickly as they could, they loaded the blonde out of the vehicles and brought him to the first room they could find. A surgeon and three assistants were already waiting. A minute after he was brought in, they gave him sleep gas and began operating. Despite wanting to know what happened to Ciel and Lyle, he couldn't stay conscious and drifted into a dream…

* * *

_He was sitting at the table, back atop the mountains in the house. Ciel and Lyle were there as well, smiling and talking, but there was something wrong about it all… There was no storm for first, and Laxus' gut was twisting in knots. Only then did the blonde notice, the empty smiles and eyes the two had, as they looked at him._

"_W-What's going on here?" his heart beat increased as a sudden shadow surrounded them. The two lovers then opened their mouth, and at second glance horror struck the boy. Blood was oozing from their eyes, nose and mouth as they kept smiling._

"_Why didn't you save us?" Ciel's words echoed, the smile he had making everything all the more terrifying. _

"_You can't save anyone… not even yourself," Lyle almost giggled as Dreyar couldn't move. He started shaking as the shadow moved closer, almost engulfing all three. He didn't know what was wrong, why he was so scared, only that he wanted to wake up now. But his wish went unanswered… mostly. The only thing that did was make things even worse…_

_The two moved closer, never losing their smiles, as they repeated their previous words over and over again. And with them, the shadow moved as well. To Laxus, it felt like an eternity before the couple hugged him, but it made his body even colder than before. The shadow then rose above them and right before it engulfed them, Lyle and Ciel whispered: "You should die as well… it's only right…"_

* * *

With a jolt, he shot his upper body up, not even able to breathe properly. That's also why he didn't see the doctors around him as the medics jumped back. He didn't see, hear or feel anything, as he was choking, but didn't know why.

"Q-Quick! Get him more sleep gas! The operation isn't finished!" the doc yelled as the medics hesitated for only a few seconds, before running to the table and restarting the Mage. But to Laxus, that was wrong, and he tried to fight it off. The blonde didn't know what grabbed him or why, only that he had to get free. But his body wouldn't listen. A few moments later, he found himself strapped to the table by magic dampeners and a mask was put on his face.

"_No… please… don't send me back there…_" it was all in his head, but tears escaped his eyes all the same, as he feared what he would see in the darkness again.

* * *

_This time, he was a child again, locked in a room, with the only source of light, the small window on the roof. He was curled up in a ball and shaking in a corner. All the while, his current and older self, standing in the middle of the room, looking at the sight before him._

"_This is… how I feel right now…" he murmured, swallowing as he heard the small boy cry._

"_I killed them… It's my fault… Everyone that comes near me… I hurt them…" the boy whispered through his sobs._

"_No… this – this isn't right…" the elder Laxus breathed and looked down at his trembling hands. But his breathe got caught in his throat when he saw them. Blood covered hands, as a pool of the red liquid surrounded him. The Dragon Slayer then gazed back up, only to find the boy gone and replaced with bodies… dead and bloody bodies of everyone he ever knew. And he stood in the middle of the massacre, trying to breathe._

"_Laxus…" a voice echoed, powerful, mocking and sadistic. "This is the power you hold," it said again, and a figure appeared before him. _

"_No! I don't want this!" the blonde yelled back, his voice breaking. _

"_You don't have a choice… the power is already inside you!" the figure laughed as its eyes glowed._

"_Who are you to say that?!" he barked back, but wasn't prepared for the answer._

"_Me? Well… what do you think Laxus?" it chuckled and walked closer, so it stood face to face with Dreyar. "I'm you," and it was true. It was like the Lightning Mage was looking at a mirror, but what he saw was a twisted image of himself._

"_N-No…" Laxus whispered and took a step back._

"_Yes… You can't escape it! This is your fate!"_

"_NO!" closing his eyes tight, _the Dragon Slayer found himself taking in sharp, cold breathes as his was covered in sweat.

It took a minute or two before he calmed down enough to realize where he was. That fact alone, made him relax more than he thought he could. He was in bed, covered by white sheets and the sun shone through the window next to the bed. Inhaling calmly, he heard a door open and the doctor from the ambulance, Moon, entered, surprise on his face, but relief in his eyes.

"Good morning boy," Moon greeted and sat on the chair next to the bed.

* * *

**That's all for this chapter. Tell me what you think by reviewing and hope you enjoyed ^^ Sorry if it was another depressing chapter, but you might want to get ready for some more of that =X**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yes, I know... Sorry for the late post, but I've been busy with school... And I will be for another week or two, so the chapter's will be coming slower =( **

**This one is a mixture of grief and joy, so I hope you enjoy ^^ I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes**

* * *

_**Ch.8 Fixing it**_

"Doctor… Moon…" Laxus barely managed to utter that, as his throat was dry, head throbbing and body aching.

"Ah, so you remember me? That's good," the doctor smiled and brought up a basket of fruits and a tray with a glass of water and pills. "Had me worried there for a few seconds," he added and handed the boy the glass and pill.

"What… happened?" taking the water and swallowing the pill, Dreyar could already feel the pain and dizziness fading.

"Well… what's the last thing you remember?" raising an eyebrow, Moon took the glass.

"I… I'm not sure… everything seems to… be a mess… I can't tell… what's real and what's not…" the blonde admitted and lowered his gaze on the blankets.

"I see… so the concision did more damage that I imagined… I could… help you with your thoughts, if you allow me," the doc seemed a bit hesitated.

"Help me? How's that?"

"Well… I am a telepath. I could enter your mind and set things right."

A sudden chill filled the room as it seemed it grew darker. The atmosphere got harder and thicker as a silent cracking sound was heard.

"Just… those thoughts? You won't go… searching my head right?" Moon could have sworn he sensed fear in his words, but at the same time desperation.

"Yes, I promise. I won't pry in your memories, unless it's absolutely necessary," giving a reassuring smile, the doctor waited for the Mage to speak.

"All right then…" was a weak reply, but good enough for the doc.

"Right… just a bit of a warning… it might sting your head a bit," gently putting a hand on each side of the Dragon Slayer's temple, he at first looked into his eyes. When he saw the 'yea I understand' Moon closed his own eyes and focused on the task at hand.

* * *

At first he entered, there was darkness. Not something he hadn't seen before. It's common for the mind to be shrouded from outsiders. Looking to his left, he saw a yellow light, not very strong, but that didn't really matter.

"Do I really have to be here?" the Lighting Mage was almost begging to go out.

"Afraid so… I can only help you if you want to be helped… Not to mention I might get lost here! You wouldn't want me wandering your mind forever now would you?" he laughed as the boy smiled. Despite situation, this man was trying his best to him in high spirits.

"Alright… let's start with something simple… like before this whole mess started. Think about that period in time. The memories should be shown before us."

"Right…" nodding, Laxus closed his eyes and focused for a few seconds. He didn't think about the events of Battle for Fairy Tail. It wasn't important at the moment. Instead he focused on the house, where he was sitting at a table along with Ciel and Lyle.

As the images came forth, the blonde's chest tightened. These two… they were innocents, he knew that, yet were dragged into this mass.

"I see… it's those two…" Moon murmured and watched closely. As the memory unfolded, Dreyar couldn't watch it again, and turned away, silently cursing his Dragon-like-hearing.

Only when it finished, did the Mage look back. He saw the doctor with his eyes closed and hands crossed, deep in thought. Somehow, wasn't really sure why, Laxus felt at ease with this person here. He carried a certain presence, which showed no sign of hatred, fear or belittling, as he was used to.

"This will be harder than I thought…" Moon finally spoke, opening his eyes and looking at the blonde.

"What do you mean? You can't fix this?" fear surged thought him like his own lightning, and for the first time, he knew what it felt like being struck by it.

"That's not the case… This," he motioned to the memory that froze at the last moment: "doesn't need fixing… it's not your memories that are a mess… it's your emotions."

"M-My… emotions?"

* * *

"Yes… it's clear from this, that you see yourself as the cause for this… you feel guilty for what happened, despite the fact you had no hand here. A war is raging with your feelings – apparently a great change has happened to you recently. As if an old and new you are battling for control."

"_T-That's right… I… I have changed… The way I was before, in Fairy Tail and the way I am now… Just what am I supposed to do?_" it surprised Laxus, that his own thoughts weren't echoing in his mind. He didn't pay it much mind and clenched his fists.

"You still… haven't told me how those two are…" his face darkened and his voice was shaking.

Seeing his state, Moon didn't want to say anything. But he knew the boy wouldn't stop asking, now that he was 'back to strength' so he might as well know right?

"We found both of them, sometime after you left the place," the doc started, his voice calm and steady, making sure they boy understood what he was saying.

"The woman, Lyle I believe was her name… was found under a mass of wood, snow and rocks. She was immediately taken to the hospital and a surgeon, but I'm afraid I still don't know how she is… I have had my hands full with other patients."

"And… Ciel?" Moon saw half the tension leave the Dragon Slayer as he heard the woman still might be alive, despite what happened. But the doc already mentally smacked himself for getting his hopes up.

"The man… he… he didn't make it," trying to make it sound as best he could, it came out more cold than he wanted to.

"How… I just want to know how he died…" biting his lips, Laxus tried finding a prayer he remembered to say for the old man.

"He… It was as if his body was roasted…" that one sentence make the blonde's sense go numb for a few seconds. "_Roasted… as in burned… it_-" the thought stopped as he spoke to the doc.

"That… that **is** my fault…" it was a faint whisper, but carried so much shame, guilt and anger that the elder man thought the boy might collapse.

"And what makes you say that?" Moon knew the answer, he just wanted to see if the boy knew the right one, or just blamed himself.

* * *

"Because of my power… I remember you sayin' I created an electric field around myself that not only shielded me, but also melted the snow… Ciel was near me when the earthquake happened… the lighting I created flew thought the water created… because he was near, the snow around him must have been melted as well so it allowed the lighting to travel there… and roast him…"

"_I-Incredible! Just a few moments ago he was a wreck and now he's already figuring out complex situations… That little information I gave him about his memories being fine must have made him snap out of it_…" he thought before shaking it off and looking at the boy.

"…Even so it's not your fault… That lightning was created on instinct. You couldn't have-"

"I should have!" that outburst made the doc take a slight step back.

"I… I've never been really good at controlling my powers… They've always been strongly connected with my emotions… That's why I came here, why I went _there_… to learn to control it. But I only ended dragging those two along…" Laxus gritted his teeth and clenched his fist harder, so his knuckles turned white.

"…Tell… what is your name son?" Moon suddenly asked, looking at the boy before him with sympathy.

"Laxus… Laxus Dreyar," he answered weakly, knowing what was to come.

"I see… Yes, I've heard of you before… The child prodigy that mastered his powers of lightning at a very young age… By 17 you were already classified as an S-Rank Mage right?"

That made the blonde look up in shock and surprise, to see the older man smiling gently. The anger seemed to melt from his system as he whispered: "Y-You…"

"Yes… I also know that you think everyone knows you for your grandfather and father. To be honest, I've never heard of the Dreyars before you," laughing, Moon scratched the back of his head.

* * *

Laxus only stared at the man, half stunned half disbelieving. But he knew the man wasn't lying. His heartbeat hasn't changed at all…

"Now then… How about we work on your powers?" Moon smiled and extended his hand.

Staring at it for a few seconds, the Dragon Slayer reached for it and nodded. "Great," the doc smiled again and the two found themselves back in the real world.

"So… where do we start?" the blonde asked, looking at the doc.

"Hmm… let's just take a break for now alright? I'm pretty sure both of us are puffed," the elder man laughed. Laxus couldn't help but chuckle along.

"Anything you want?" Moon raised an eyebrow and stood up. "The patient food here is awful."

"E… coffee then?"

"Will do!" and with that, the doc left the room and went towards the employee room.

"_His state… it's already improved greatly. I guess my first thought was right… all he needs is reassurance and love… Wait! What kind of coffee do I take_?" he thought and suddenly stopped mid-way in the hall, a sweat-drop on his head.

* * *

"_That old man… did he try to put up a barrier around my memories to keep me from remembering what happened? It'd sure as hell be easier that way… but I made a choice. I'm not takin' the easy way out anymore… All this… it's supposed to teach me… You never lose. You either win or learn… isn't that how it works_?" Dreyar smiled and looked to the side and out of the window. He saw a blue hared boy, probably the same age as himself that was leaving the hospital. And in that instant, his face seemed so familiar.

"_It's… it can't be… but-"_ his thoughts were interrupted by Moon entering the room, smiling and carrying two coffees.

"Ah, sorry I'm late! You wouldn't believe the crowd," he laughed and put one of the cups on the night table next to the bed.

"Hey? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I did…" the blonde whispered as the picture he saw back in the house of Lyle and Ciel came to mind. "_There's no doubt about it… that's Julian. But… does he know_?"

* * *

**Well, that's chapter 8. Hope you liked it and tell me what you think ^^ And as I said, the chapters won't be coming out as fast as before (one per week maybe) so I'm sorry in advance =X**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ah, finally, chapter 9! Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but this next week will be just as slow =C After that, I promise they'll come faster!**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Hope you enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.9 Tears**_

"Laxus?" Moon's voice brought the boy back. Blinking to register where exactly he was, he saw the concerned face of the doctor.

"A-Ah sorry… lost in thought," he scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"Well, if you ever feel the need to talk about anything, feel free to tell me," the doc smiled back and patted the boy on the head and ruffled his hair.

"Oi old man," gently tapping his hand away, the two were smiling at the act and response.

"Don't call me 'old man' kid. I'm only 45," he joked and laughed when the blonde stuck out his tongue. "I'm not a kid. I'm 23 ya know," Laxus defended, inwardly shocked that he acted in that way. It was far out of his character, but somehow it felt nice. Being able to just joke around a bit.

"Oh? You must have a fiancé then," Moon laughed and almost fell off the bed at the sudden red face that Laxus had.

The Dragon Slayer tried forming words, but all he managed to do was open and close his mouth a few times, like a fish out of water.

"No! No way! Women are weird! And crazy! I'd never- Hell no!" he started protesting smiling along as Moon had to hold his stomach, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"It's not like they're demons or anything boy!" he managed to speak.

"S-Sure… you keep saying that," a nervous sweat-drop formed on the Mage's head as an image of Mira in her full Satan Soul glared at him.

"B-But no really *pant* do you *pant* have a girlfriend?" the doc was still laughing.

"Well… e… I can't really call her that," the boy looked to the side.

"Oh? So… you're in deep and she ignores you?" the doctor had calmed down and continued to tease the blonde.

"N-No! It's not like that! We just… well… I don't know anymore," as if admitting defeat, Dreyar hung his head.

"Aw come now… I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"It's just… I… I want her to be really happy… have a guy she deserves…" the mood took a turn as a cloud passed the sun, making the room seem darker.

Seeing him in that state reminded the elder man of his love-life and how it was very similar. But then, he recalled, he never had the kind of problems the boy was having.

* * *

"You're a good kid, but you've had your hard times… Nothing is written in stone you know… Your past, your scars or the people you're connected to don't define you. Only your actions you take now, from this moment forward. What's in the past is in the past. Don't let it drag you down. Don't think 'what I should have…' think 'what will I…' You're your own person," the smile was so warm, genuine and welcoming, that Dreyar thought he might actually break down.

Almost all his life, he had been trying to make his father proud of him. He wasted time and money he could have used for many other things, just to get his approval. And now, this man before him, who hardly knew him, was treating him like his own son. Yes, Makarov tried to talk to the boy in a similar manner, but he didn't know what to properly say. Laxus knew his grandfather was trying, but he never really got that reassurance.

"Thank you…" the blonde whispered, biting his lip and closing his eyes. After all that, he couldn't cry. It wouldn't be right. But it was hard to keep it inside.

"You don't have to thank me," Moon said and looked at the boy, tilting his head slightly before leaning in and hugging him. "Hey, it's alright… you don't have to keep it all inside. I'm not going to judge you for crying… not to mention I'm just a doctor. You don't have to be brave in front of me…" his words were quiet, but so warm, the Dragon Slayer believed it wholeheartedly.

In the following moments, tears streamed down his cheeks as he buried his face into the elder man's shoulder, muffling the sobs.

"Good… people don't cry because they're weak… but because they've been strong for too long… The first step to being strong is admitting you have been weak."

The Mage didn't know how long they stayed like that, him just crying onto the doctor's shoulder, listening to his words of encouragement. He had never had anyone to be able to speak like this. Never had a shoulder to cry on or ear to listen to his sobs. So this was probably awkward for both of them, but neither seemed to care. Laxus was just glad he was able to let it all out.

After, who knows how long, the blonde lightly moved back and Moon understood that as, that he was finally feeling better.

When the elder man looked at the boy, he saw his red eyes and the lines left by the tears. The Mage was already rubbing his sleeves around his eyes, trying to get the liquid away. Smiling and reaching for a box, the doc handed the blonde a box of tissues.

"If you ask, I'm sure there will always be someone willing to help. Just reach out your hand and someone will grab it. I'm sure of it," he spoke as Dreyar reached for the box and cleaned himself off. It was as if he was looking at a 12 year old boy who got a bad grade, not a 23 year old that's probably never had the chance to cry and let all his emotions out.

"Now! You hungry? It's about 1 pm. soo…" he trailed off and let the blonde get his composure back.

"Now that you mention it…" and as if on cue, his stomach rumbled as they both laughed.

"Well, what will you have? We got fried chicken, tuna, hamburgers and spaghetti."

"Personally, anything will do just fine."

"Well, two bowls of spaghetti it is! The meat in the hamburgers sometimes moves. I think it's alive," Moon whispered the last parts as they both laughed again.

* * *

And as the doc left to get the lunch, couldn't help but re-hear the words Moon spoke. He had tried finding ways to come to those conclusions, but he gave up when his father left Fairy Tail.

"Damn, you old geezer… I doubt you'd even know this is me huh?" a small smile appeared on his lips as a not-to-pleasant memory unfolded.

_***Flashback***_

"_Laxus! Get up!" Ivan yelled as he towered above the 13 year old._

"_I *pant* just need *pant* a few seconds…" the boy said weakly, doubled over and taking in quick breathes._

"_Tch, don't be weak!" the father yelled and kneed Laxus in the stomach, sending him flying into a wall on the other side of the room. "This is training for your powers! If you're too weak to even stand, you don't deserve them!"_

_The blonde didn't respond; only lay there on the ground as bits of the wall crumbled from the hit. Frowning, Ivan walked closer to see what happened and gritted his teeth._

"_You're crying?! Just how much weaker can you be boy?" he yelled, but that didn't affect Laxus at all. The only thing that managed to achieve, was making him cry more. _

"_Tch, go clean yourself up… when you're done whimpering go to bed," was the last thing Ivan said before turning around and leaving the room._

_Hearing the door slam shut, the Dragon Slayer curled up in a ball, gripping his stomach and trying to stop the crying. He hated when he cried, because his father hated his as well._

_***End of flashback***_

Letting out a relaxing breathe, he did a few calm ones, to try and get rid of the stress. Now was not the time to be thinking about that stuff… His stomach rumbled again, and his concentration faded a bit as he looked at the door.

"_Maybe I should help him carry it_?" he thought and took off the sheets and tried get up, but pain shot thought his body like cold water. Gritting his teeth, he settled back down and winced at both the pain and annoyance.

"_Damn it! I feel so useless…_" he hissed in his mind frowning at the condition he was in. "But I guess… I odda be grateful I'm alive…" he murmured when the door knob twisted slightly and soon after the door opened.

* * *

"Hi, I'm back Li-" someone spoke, male and around 20. But they stopped midsentence when they entered the room and saw the blonde male in the bed, looking like he just saw a ghost.

"Oh, m-my bad. I got the wrong room number," the boy apologized and bowed, but Laxus didn't respond.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, he just couldn't. The moment he saw the green hair, sky-blue eyes and face, his heart skipped a beat.

"You…" the Dragon Slayer spoke, voice shaking as the boy looked at him, slightly confused and startled. "What's your name?" he didn't mean for it to sound demanding or menacing, but at the moment, he just couldn't control it.

"M-Me? I'm – I'm Julian…" the green-haired boy gulped slightly at the expression Laxus had. It was the face of someone who didn't want to or couldn't believe what they were hearing or seeing.

"Julian… The – The son of Ciel and Lyle?" Dreyar wasn't sure how he managed to make it sound calm and in control, but he didn't mind.

"Y-Yes! You know my parents?" hope, joy and excitement were all present at his words, in his voice, eyes and on his face.

"H-How are they?! I haven't heard from them in a while! They must be worried about me. B-but there was supposedly an earthquake, but I'm sure it wasn't near them… just a bit worried is all… S-So please! Anything you can tell me would be amazing!" he beamed and Laxus didn't know how to respond, let alone what to say.

"Oh, where are my manners! Even if you know my name doesn't mean you know me," the boy laughed nervously and stepped closer. "I'm Julian Battle. I work at a farm at the edge of town," he smiled and extended his hand.

Swallowing, Dreyar lowered his gaze and opened his mouth to speak, when the door opened and in stepped no one other than Dr. Moon, carrying four bowls of spaghetti.

"Hope your hungry kid!" he laughed, but stopped when he saw that someone else was in the room as well.

* * *

**That's it for this one. Tell me what you think ^^ Oh and, I'd just like to say, that I'd really love it if more people reviewed =3= I mean, so far only two people and a recent new reader have reviewed, and not that I want you to stop, but I'd also like to know what everyone else thinks ^^'**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ah, finally chapter 10! Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I really had to move the story along =3= I'm still not sure how long it will be. Thanks to everyone that's been following the story! You people rock!**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.10 Resolution **_

"Oh… Hi there…" Moon blinked, seeing the blue-haired boy.

"Um… S-Sorry!" Julian bowed again, feeling far too uncomfortable. "I just… I just wanted to know what happened to my parents… Mister… um…"

"The kid's name's Laxus," the doc quickly spoke, seeing that Dreyar was still out of it.

"Yes, Mister Laxus said he knew them…"

"Oh, I see…" the elder man spoke. In truth he wanted to leave and not intrude this conversation, but his instincts told him to stay. And when he thought about it, the Mage would probably need some support on the matter.

"Well, hope you don't mind me staying here, enjoying a meal," he knew it was the right choice, when he saw the grateful look the Dragon Slayer gave him.

As all eyes feel on Laxus, he spoke: "Yes… I knew them," his voice was quiet, as if ashamed and guilt-ridden. "They were good people…" but right now, the blonde was buying time to figure out how to tell the boy about what happened…

"Ah, I'm glad they haven't changed," the blue-haired one smiled, visibly relaxing at the news.

"_**Laxus…"**_ Moon's voice echoed in the said man's head.

"_Yeah, I know… But just how can I tell him?"_ Dreyar bit his lip, wondering what to say next. And that's when he decided… He just has to tell him. If he keeps drawing it out like this. When he finds out, he'll be more devastated than if he knew right away.

"Julian…" Laxus' voice changed, now harder and emotionless. The blonde knew he had to speak this way; otherwise his own emotions would get mixed with everything.

"Your parents… They're dead…" his eyes didn't leave the boy, who went from smiling to shaking.

* * *

"W…What?" his voice was trembling, as he tried to smile, thinking what the Mage said was a lie. It had to be a lie, right?

"I know this is hard to believe, but they were in the landslide… So was I, but my powers kept me alive," the Dragon Slayer didn't flinch or anything. He had to be _very_ calm right now not matter what.

"_**Laxus, why did you-?"**_ the doc's voice came mentally again, but the wizard stopped him from speaking any further.

"_Because he needs to know… If he hates me, that's fine. I'd rather have him hate me, than him not knowing how I know all of this…"_ he answered the half asked question.

"You… were in it as well?" Julian's voice was starting to break, as tears streamed down his face.

"I was," Laxus still kept the same, even voice.

"And you have powers? You're Mage?" his voice was becoming quieter with each word.

"Yes."

"Then… why didn't you save them?" the dreaded question wasn't filled with anger or hatred like the blonde thought. No, this was far worse. It was as if he was lost.

"I couldn't," he answered truthfully, clenching his fists under the coat.

"Couldn't?" Julian repeated, raising his empty eyes at the Dragon Slayer. "Or wouldn't?"

There it was. The hatred Dreyar was just waiting to be shown. In a matter of moments, those empty eyes were filled with a burning rage; he knew he was the cause of.

"I couldn't," the blonde repeated steadily, eyes still locked with Julian.

"Liar," it was an extremely quick respond, in the form of a hiss. "You didn't bother!" raising his voice, the blue-haired boy's eyes were glassed over as he stepped closer.

* * *

"I did try, but there was nothing-"

"Yet you lived!" and the tears came again, as did the shaking, but the boy kept walking. "You're a wizard aren't you? You said you have power! What good is that power, if you can't save people!" he almost yelled, and despite his calm appearance, Laxus was stunned on the inside. It was something Makarov used to tell him all the time.

_***Flashback***_

"_Laxus! Why are you just sitting around?" Makarov tapped his foot on the ground, looking at the boy._

"_Well what am I supposed to do? Every mission around here is way too easy for me," the 20 year-old Lightning Mage smirked, feet on a table._

"_Well then, why don't you help some of the other members? They could use some extra power."_

"_Help those weaklings? You're joking right?" the blonde sat properly, still smirking._

"_I'm entirely serious Laxus. With all the power you have, you could help them be better."_

"_Ha! Like I care about those guys! If they're too weak to do a mission, then they have no place in this world. I mean, if a wizard's weak, he's gonna die sooner or later right?"_

"_Laxus…" the Guild Master clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes_.

_***End of flashback***_

"You don't d-" Julian would have continued, had he not suddenly collapsed. His eyes rolled to the back to his head and as he was about to hit the floor, Doctor Moon was there to catch him.

"Hey, easy there little guy," Moon whispered and gently laid the boy on a bed in the room.

"Why did you do that?" Laxus' voice made the doc look at him with an apologetic smile.

"I thought it was better… His state of mind is in total chaos. If I hadn't knocked him out mentally he would have collapsed from the stress," the elder man explained and sighed, looking back at the boy.

"I hadn't really expected him to say that," he frowned slightly, before looking back at Dreyar.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?" Moon blinked before practically jumping and moving to the now standing Dragon Slayer.

* * *

"I'm leaving," was the simple answer as he found his garments and started changing.

"But-But you're not ready yet. Mentally or physically!" the doc tried to stop him, but it was useless.

"I can't really stay here… You can't take care of two of us," putting his shirt on, Laxus turned around. "Besides, I can handle it on my own now… The kid just triggered a memory that… made me realize a few things… I was thinking about 'em before, but they didn't really make sense. Now they do."

"…Where do you plan to go?" deciding it was pointless to try and stop him, Moon sighed.

"Not sure… Might head for the desert… nice and abandoned. I still need more control of my power and there isn't anyone I can get involved there."

"You should stop by a place before heading there… You'll need some stuff and a lot of water if you want to live thought that burning hell."

"Right, I'll do that… But will you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it kid?"

"Take care of Julian… if possible… change the conversation so it didn't end like that, but with him thinking it really was my fault."

"Are you sure about this?"

Glancing at the sleeping form of the blue-haired boy, Laxus nodded: "Yeah."

"Well… take care of yourself then… and if you're ever around here again, come and visit."

"Yeah, sure old man," and with a final handshake the two said goodbye and the blonde left.

* * *

"He said I need to find a place with equipment for the desert… It has to be around here," frowning, the Dragon Slayer looked at the signs. He had just arrived at the edge of Joya and was hopping that a shop around here had what he was looking for.

"Hey! You! Tall and blonde!" someone called and made the Mage turn around.

"Yeah?" he raised an eyebrow when he saw a middle-aged man run towards him.

"You shouldn't be standing here. It says a sand storm is going to be here soon," the man explained, looking around a bit panicked.

"Oh, thanks… But I haven't got a place to-" the wizard started when a sudden strong wind flew past him and brought along the sand from the desert.

"Oh, no… it's here far too early!" the man screamed and ran away.

Turning to the boarders of Joya, Dreyar could see a tornado making its way here. But there were still some people in the streets, either making their way back home or enjoying the night. In a few moments, the news of the tornado spread though the town and the people started panicking, running around aimlessly and clinking to their loved ones.

"Hey, why is everyone so freaked? Isn't this a normal thing around here?" the blonde assumed it was, the way the man from before said it.

"It-It is! But this one is far bigger than the others! Our houses aren't built for this!" a woman, carrying a baby, shook her head as he buried the babies face into her chest, whispering.

"_Tch, why the hell is it… everywhere I got somethin' bad has to happen_?" gritting his teeth, Laxus saw a cloak flowing in the wind and grabbed it.

"_Well… since it's my mess, I better take care of it,"_ smirking, he knew it wasn't true, but it sure as hell was a good and awesome excuse. "_Better hurry to, or it'll be to close,_" he charged his lighting at his feet, before his whole body transformed into a bolt and he flew towards the strong wind.

"_Last time I tried stopping a natural phenomenon, it didn't end well. Those were two at once… This is one and third one… Three's the charm right_?" he smirked and landed a bit away from the tornado, clenching his fist and yelling: "**Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist**!" bent the arm and then extends the fist forward in a punching motion, creating a large-sized-lighting-fist.

As the lightning and wind met, it almost felt like an explosion, as it send out powerful wind currents that almost knocked the Mage off his feet. But when the dust settled, the tornado was gone and all that was left were a few flickering lightning marks.

"Well, that worked better than I thought," Laxus chuckled before turning around and heading back to the town. He still needed the supplies for his journey.

"Thank you! Come again!" a shop keeper bowed as Dreyar walked out of his shop with a bag full of dry food, water and some shirts. He kept the cloak from before as he started heading to the boarder again. None of the citizens even knew what or who stopped he tornado, only that they were alive. And that, made the Dragon Slayer happy, even if no one knew he did it.

"Desierto here I come!" he smirked and put on his headphones, before entering the desert.

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter. Next we enter a new part of the story, as you can guess xD. I hope you enjoyed and tell me what you think by reviewing!**


	11. Chapter 11

**And here comes chapter 10! It's a bit different from the other chapters, but I hope you like it ^^**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. The new 'pets' you find here are courtesy of my cousin who just got... something similar, if in appearance only.**

* * *

_**Ch.11 Companion **_

Currently it was night fall in the desert Desierto, but the temperature was still very high.

"Gotto hate magic deserts…" Laxus grumbled and licked his dry lips. It's been about 3 days since he left the boarders of Joya, and he's already used a third of his water supply.

"Hopefully it'll get easier when you adapt…" Dreyar mumbled and then stopped in his tracks. His ears moved slightly as he sniffed the air.

"Seriously? Again?" he frowned and turned just to see a group of lizard-men surround him. When he first came here, a pack ambushed him not to far from Joya, but he quickly got rid of them. Now, their friends seem to want payback. The lizards' tongues were out of their mouths as they held wooden spears at the ready.

"Man, you never learn…" the blonde called and dropped his bag. The only answer he got was a hiss before the amphibians charged forward, panning to skewer the Dragon Slayer. But the Mage only sighed before inhaling and creating lightning that came down onto the Earth, striking the lizards.

"Well… at least I got dinner…" the wizard shrugged and walked to the roasted animals.

* * *

"_Sunrise isn't far away… I better get moving,_" Laxus thought and looked at the horizon, where the scarlet rays of the sun were coming.

He was munching on some of the lizard meat, which wasn't all that tasty but had plenty of neutrinos. That's when he heard something else coming, but his nose told him it wasn't a lizard-man.

"Who's there?" the blonde narrowed his eyes to the left. A few moments later, something walked out of the darkness and into the view of the fire.

"A Thunder Hunter wolf?" he asked in disbelieve as a blue-coated wolf with yellow lightning-like lines on its body could be seen. It looked very tired, but let out a growl none the less.

"It's female…" he concluded, eyeing it for a good minute. It looked from the meat to the Mage, deciding whether or not to attack. Luckily for it, Laxus understood what it wanted.

"Hungry huh?" a smile appeared on his lips, as he took one of the lizard legs and threw it to the Thunder Hunter's left, as to not startle the animal too much.

Looking from the new meat, and back at the blonde, it didn't move until Dreyar spoke: "Just take it. Not like it's poisonous… Your kind is rare ain't it? Heard you can actually understand human speech," he looked at it's blue eyes, still smiling.

That's when the wolf nodded or more _bowed_ to the wizard, walked to the lizard leg and grabbed it, before turning around and starting to walk.

"Ohh, you got kids too?" that thought made Laxus happy, as the Thunder Hunters are an endangered species. A soft growl escaped the wolf's throat, as it went back from whence it came.

"No one would believe me I actually saw one, let alone fed and spoke to it," the Dragon Slayer smiled, and shook his head, still hard on believing what happened himself.

* * *

Finishing his meal, the blonde stood up, threw on his bag and started heading towards the North, until he heard howls and growls coming from behind.

Turning, what he thought turned out to be real. It was a Thunder Hunter pack, consisting of the mother and 4 children, running towards him.

"The hell?" despite his words, Dreyar was smiling as the 'pups' ran around him, the mother walking to his right. "You guys shouldn't be around me too much," his smile faded as he realized his powers still weren't fully under control.

In the past three days, he had gained quite some of control fighting the lizard-men and beating the environment he was currently in, but it still wasn't as much as he wanted.

But without hesitation, the mother moved closer, rubbing her head against his leg and bowing again, before the kids followed suit.

Seeing they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and he couldn't say no to those puppy eyes they were making, Laxus sighed and said: "Fine. You wanna tag along, be my guest. But don't growl I didn't warn you," he got on one knee and moved his hand at the mother, slowly but steadily.

She stared at him for a few second, before moving under his hand and licking his forearm.

"Well, since you guys know this desert better than me; feel free to lead me to a town or something… Even an oasis will do," he got back up and took out a bottle of water, drinking what was left of it.

"_5 more bottles left,_" he said to himself, putting the bottle back in his bag.

* * *

The wolves had started moving, kids in the front and the mother at his side, as they walked the desert in the mid-day, with the temperature over 70 degrees (our have 40-45 I believe…) and the sand dragging them down.

They only stopped once or twice and even that to make sure they were going to the right way or to get a drink. Laxus was grateful the Thunder Hunters hardly ever drunk. For a while he was worried the water supply wouldn't last.

Things seemed fine, until night came and they stopped for something to eat. As you'd expect, it was roasted lizard meat, but no one complained. As the Mage was about to 'hit the hey', the wolves started growling and howling at something in the distance.

Going into ready mode, Laxus focused on the darkness, trying to see what the threat was. But his vision wasn't as strong as the wolves, so the first sign of danger came to his ears. He heard strong winds, tasted sand in his mouth and had to cover his eyes to avoid to grains getting into them.

"_You've gotto be kidding me…"_ he hissed in his head, knowing exactly what was to come.

Quickly grabbing his bag, he whistled and got the attention of the wolves.

"We need to move. Fast! That sand storm will be here any minute," he was already walking, when he felt another strong wind coming from the other side. Cursing, he bit his lip and looked at the 'pups' seeing how they were now whimpering and staying as close to their mother as they could.

"There's another one here… It's too close! We won't get out in time!" he called as the wind grew stronger and the sand started hitting his skin like needles.

Looking at the mother, he could have sworn he saw sadness, desperation and begging in them, as it telling him to save her children. Swallowing, Laxus got on one knee and looked at her.

"Do you trust me?" it was a simple statement that required a simple answer. And he got it. A nod, and a howl, before he inhaled and could now see the storms from both sides.

* * *

Creating lightning in his fist, the Mage slammed it into the sandy ground, creating a hole and nodding to the Thunder Hunters to get in. Doing as the blonde asked, the animals jumped in and looked back at him, who smiled and created an electric field around them.

"Finally… it worked," relief was shown on his face as the skill finally worked. Creating it for himself it easy, but for someone else… that's harder. But at least it worked, so now they're safe. Here comes the hard part…

Looking at the sky, he couldn't even see the Moon anymore as the storms collided, creating a tornado even, as Dreyar closed his eyes and got into a stance.

One leg in front of his body, and the other behind, pulling one arm behind and gathering magic in it, he managed to let out a breathe. The ground shook from both the storm and magic power as he whispered: "**Dragon Slayer's Secret Art**," opening his eyes, the storm was at it's peek and coming to swallow him.

In the next moment he ran forward, the charged hand springing forward releasing the magic he gathered as he yelled: "**Roaring Thunder!**"

The lightning and wind collided again, but this time, the Mage was far too close to the explosion that occurred. Due to the fact he just used Secret Art he had never tried using before, his magic was low and his energy gone, and so he was left at the mercy of the blast.

And he paid for his interference with nature. The blast seemed to create another whirlpool that sucked him in and trapped him in it's wind. After, he wasn't sure how long, only that he was feeling very sick, it felt himself he thrown out of the vortex and flying through the air.

Mid-flight, he lost consciousness, and didn't even feel the impact of his crash, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But, he could he glad it was all sand, so he wasn't in any danger.

Well, not yet. The biggest killer in deserts was the sun, and right now, there was nothing shielding the Dragon Slayer from it.

* * *

Sometime after he landed, when there was no sign of survival for him, a shadow appeared next to him, at first only eyeing him, but then it bent down, it's long, blonde hair covering him and it whispered something, in a language no one had heard in millenniums.

Straightening back up, the figure smiled before taking something out of it's pocket. It was a worn piece of paper, with the map of Desierto on it.

Setting it into the Mage's cloak, it vanished without a word, as the blonde's eyes opened for a few seconds before he closed them again and slowly opened again.

Swallowing, his throat was very dry as his whole body hurt. Grunting, Laxus managed to sit up and put a hand on his head, mumbling: "What the hell hit me…?" before he remembered.

"Fuck! Where the hell did it sent me?!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and looking around fiercely. That's when he heard something crumbling in his cloak. Looking down and taking out the piece of paper he found, his eyes were wide eyed as he blinked to make sure it was real.

"If this is right… a town is just west of here…" turning it around, he saw something scribbled on it's back and read it.

_Fear not for the Thunder Hunters you fought to save. Due to all your efforts, they came out of the storm unscratched. You should focus on finding yourself some shelter. Oh, and this letter will be burned in 10 seconds. Good luck!_

Blinking a few times, he didn't really know what to think, until the map really started burning. Yelling in surprise, he let the letter go and watched it burn to ash, before the wind picked it up and took it away. Sighing, Laxus had no idea what to believe anymore.

But no matter what, half knowing where to go, was better than getting lost. So, he started walking, happy that he finally saved something. But the bad side was he hardly had any water left. More than half of it fell out during the storm...

* * *

**And that's it for the chapter. There are some new things here, mostly the shadow ;) Can you guess who it was? :P Anyway, tell me what you think by reviewing and I hope you enjoyed ^^**


	12. Chapter 12

**And here's chapter 12! This one is... experimental I guess, as I was given a lot of information about the deserts by 'kurahieiritr JIO' and I thank you for that very much (again) and hope you, and anyone else who has better knowledge of the deserts than me, find this... acceptable. But do keep in mind, this is a magic desert so...**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy and do review if you do! ^^ I only own the grammar mistakes and OCs**

* * *

_**Ch. 12 Survival**_

"Are you kidding me?!" Laxus yelled at the sky, kicking the pile of rocks he had set on the ground. He had been walking in circles for the past three hours, at least, and used half of what was left of his water supply. Most of it got lost during his flight with the blast. Setting the rocks on the ground there, he was 100% sure he had been on the same path for a while now.

"Why did, whoever it was, have to give me damn map that'd burn? Without it, I'm as lost as here as Natsu is in a library…" Dreyar breathed and sat down on a few rocks under a small tree. It didn't give much cover from the blazing sun, but it was better than nothing.

"Man, it's probably around afternoon, but it's like it's betting hotter and hotter…" he licked his dry lips and ran a hand over his face. He could feel the sweat dripping off his face, and feel his long hair. It had grown quite a bit since he left Fairy Tail, and he didn't really like it.

"_**You know, you shouldn't stay in the sun like that for too long**_," a sudden voice chipped and made the Dragon Slayer jump, spinning and trying to find the source of the voice.

"_**Oh, sorry, did I scar you?**_" it asked again, this time, the blonde looked up and saw a large bird with sand-colored wings, red beak and tail, as well as blue marks on its underbelly.

"W-What the hell?" was all the Mage managed as the large bird flew above his head, creating a soothingly cold gust of wind as it flapped its wings.

"_**Is that better?**_" it chipped, seeing the pleased look on the wizard.

"Y-yeah," he snapped out of it and looked back at the bird, still having no idea if this was real or just an illusion created by the desert heat.

"_**Good, you had me worried,"**_ it did a few more circlers, before flying down to a branch on the tree and only now did Laxus realize it wasn't opening its mouth to speak. But that was the last thing on his mind, as he focused on what it told him.

"_**You know, we really should move. I have a feeling a storm will come,**_" it glanced around and then back at Dreyar, who only nodded, still staring at the bird.

"_**Well, follow me! I'll answer your questions on the way**_," it flew off the branch and off to the east, with Laxus shaking his head before following.

"So… what are you?" the blonde asked, not even paying attention to where he was going.

"_**Hmm… that's hard to answer… Ask anything else, might be a bit easier**_," it chipped.

"Um… Where are we going?"

"_**To a hideout**_."

"Where is it?"

"_**Somewhere near**_."

"Why are you helping me?"

"_**Because you were dying."**_

"How did you find me?"

"_**I happened to be flying by."**_

"How did you make that cold air?"

"_**Magic."**_

"You can use magic?"

"_**Apparently."**_

"And how can you talk?"

"_**Telepathically."**_

"Do you have any other magic powers?"

"_**Not really I guess…"**_

And so went their conversation, the answer sometime as bizarre as the bird, other times annoying and then again just plain useless. All in all, it took about a good hour to reach their destination, but the bird kept flying over Laxus, so he was cool the whole time.

* * *

"This is a cave," he stated lamely.

"_**Cool isn't it?"**_ its eyes glimmered as it flew in, with the blonde sighing and following suit.

"_**You were very lucky you know,"**_ the bird spoke and landed on a rock in the cave.

When the Dragon Slayer got used to the lightning in it, he saw a pond at the very back of the cave, flowers growing at the edges and a stone carved or made in a way that looked like a bed.

Immediately he ran to the pond, scooping as much water as he could and drinking it until he couldn't do so any longer. Only when he was finished did he turn to the bird.

"Lucky that you found me?" he asked, leaning on the stone bed.

"_**No, that you came at this time to the desert."**_

"This time?"

"_**Yeah, it's the winter season. That's why the temperatures only got to 70 degrees. In the summer seasons, it gets up to 140. But at the time I found you, it was about 100 degrees, which is something rather wired…**_" its tone changed a bit, going from happy-go-lucky, to serious.

"I thought it was getting hotter…" he mumbled.

"_**And you are the cause of it,**_" it suddenly said, making Laxus blink in shock.

"What? How could I-?" there was a sudden guilt in his voice, and the bird spoke again before he could finish. "_**You didn't cause it intentionally understand. But your multiple battles here with the lizard-men and storms, as your element is lightning, have caused this Magic Desert to absorb a lot of magic that was released. Because of that, the weather is getting extremely unpredictable and kept changing more than it should,**_" it explained, taking some of the guilt off of Laxus, but not all.

"Sorry about that…" he whispered, looking at the ground, shame coming back. He can't even **go** anywhere without causing trouble.

Sighing, Laxus leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Just when I finally managed to figure out how the whole Secret Art thing works…" a humorless laugh escaped him, as he opened his eyes a bit, looking at the bird, which had its head tilted.

"Do you know what it's like? Being told you can be something incredible, but only if you do something someone tells you? And that the one thing that can make you special, is out of your reach? Only to then finally garb it, but find out it's too dangerous to hold?" he wasn't really expecting an answer, but he just felt like he had to tell someone that, even if it was just a bird.

"_**I do know…"**_ it whispered back, sadly. _**"You see… there is something I didn't tell you…"**_ Dreyar raised his head to listen.

"_**I am nothing more than an illusion… created by your subconscious,"**_ the answer at fist had no effect on the blonde but it was slowly dawning on him.

"What?" he asked, not sure if he even heard right.

"_**You… your body and your mind, felt that death is very near, and started acting on instinct. You had all of this information, all of these things I told you, somewhere in your mind, yet you couldn't really access it as the desert heat kept you from thinking straight."**_

"So, am I really here or this an illusion as well?" he suddenly jumped to his feet, looking at the bird as his jaw locked and fist clenched.

"_**You are really here, but the pond is an illusion as well. It's actually a wet part you found and dug, finding some water."**_

"Wait, so I've been moving all the time we've been talking?"

"_**Yes, it's something you father taught you… Near death experiences with him, have made your body and mind act on two different acts – one to survive and the other to keep you sane."**_

"Fuck…" he muttered and sat on the stone bed, letting out a sigh and calming down. As he did so, the bird vanished and as did the flowers, and the pond changed to nothing more than a small hole.

Taking a few more deep breathes; he looked at the cave entrance and saw the sun was starting to set. Deciding to try and remember where to go next tomorrow, he curled up on the stone bed and surrounded himself in an electric field to keep warm before drifting off to sleep…

* * *

_***Flashback***_

"_Dragon Slayer Secret Art? What's that?" Laxus asked his father as they finished a round of training._

"_It's as the name says. Special abilities for Dragon Slayers. Each Dragon Slayer has his or her own special skills, not to mention element. It's what makes a __**true**__ Dragon Slayer," Ivan explained. It was one of his better days, almost good days, so he put up with Laxus' questions._

"_Can I learn it?" _

"_Maybe one day… It's very hard and not every Dragon Slayer to learn it…"_

"_What does it take to learn it?"_

"_A few things… The first naturally is that a person must be a Dragon Slayer. The second, they must have good control and high level of their own magic. Third is that the magic is very well developed, as in, has many varieties of skills. Fourth is a near death experience at least once. And fifth, is a will to protect someone close to them. But if you ask me, only the four are necessary. The fifth is nothing more than a silly superstition."_

_***End of flashback* **_

When Dreyar finally woke up, he felt stiff and had to stretch, forgetting for a minute that he was in a cave in the middle of a desert. When that came back to mind, he sighed and got off the stone bed and did a few more moves to get rid of the stiffness before he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

"What the…?" he trailed off when he saw it was another map, crafted into the caves wall.

Looking at it closer, he saw a path marked that went from this cave, to the town he was supposedly heading to. Doing the best he could at memorizing it, he checked if there was anything else left in the cave before going to entrance and instantly felt the heat.

"Well, it's only morning… I'd say I have about three hours before the temperatures goes up to 100… better move fast then," he sighed before putting on his hood and walking out of the cave and towards the west, where the town was supposed to be.

Little did he know there was a figure giggling on top of the cave as it watched him leave, smiling as if proud at him?

"That's the way Laxus… Just believe in yourself and you'll make it thought… After all, the others will be in need of your power soon," and then, just like that, it vanished, leaving no signs behind.

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter. Yes, I know, it's a bit shorer than the few others, but I couldn't put in more information for now. And don't take my word for how the Secret Art works, as I don't think it was ever really mentioned. Oh, and I assume you all know who the figure is :P but to tell what you think. Review or PM me to tell me what you think ^^ **


	13. Chapter 13

**This is chapter 13 guys! Big thanks to everyone who has been with me on this story! I really do hope you guys are going to stay until the end =)**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Read and enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.13 Desert Fire**_

It was scorching hot in the desert Desierto, the extreme weather making the temperature all the higher. Yet Laxus walked thought the sandy land, carrying a bag and covered in a cloak. He was swaying slightly, from one side to the other. And despite the movement, Dreyar was keeping a sharp stance.

A strong gust of wind flew past the Mage, forcing him to put an arm up to keep the sand from getting into his eyes. For a bit it worked, until the wind got stronger and a sand storm started approaching. A tornado was quickly speeding across the masses of sand, leaving nothing but destruction in its path.

Clicking his tongue, the Dragon Slayer clenched his fist as electricity sparked around it. Gripping tighter the bag he held, he slammed his fist into the sand, before it started exploding and gaining power as an electric wave flew towards the tornado. When the two forces collided, an even stronger gust of wind was created, yet the tornado disappeared.

With the last bursts of wind flying past the wizard, it threw off the hood he was wearing, and exposed him to the sun.

"_Damn the weather here…_" Laxus clicked his tongue before putting the hood back on.

"_And the sign said a town should be around here…_" Dreyar turned around a bit, looking for anything that might resemble a town.

"_Tch, I don't have much more water left…"_ looking into the bag he had, he found water left for only two or three more gulps.

"Well… standing here won't get me anywhere," throwing the bag back over his shoulder, the blonde continued walking through the sand.

* * *

It had been a month and a half since his excommunication and he was already far from Fiore. He wasn't entirely sure why he came here, only that it felt like he should. As a sort of punishment for all his sins.

"Where is this damn town…" he mumbled, his throat dry as his legs started to feel heavy.

"Keep moving Dreyar… fall down now, and you're gonna die…" he hissed at himself, pushing harder to move.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something sparkle. Turning to the left, he focused harder and gulped as best he could.

"You've got to be kiddin' me…" it was an oasis that he saw, yet she shook off any thoughts of going there.

"It's an illusion…" but that sign of water made him thirstier, so he took out the water and drowned it, before throwing the bota (the bag used to carry water) away.

"_I say I got about two hours before I pass out from dehydration…_" Laxus started moving again, looking around for any shelter from the scorching sun.

"_Two hours until I die… let the game begin…_"

* * *

"For… crying… out loud…" the Lighting Mage could hardly speak. For the past two and half hours he'd been wondering the desert, with the sun only getting hotter. He had found some shelter for about five minutes at a group of boulders, but as the sun moved, so did the shade.

"_This… is it then…_" even his saliva was gone as he dragged his feet along.

"I'm gonna… die like… some damn… animal… with… never gettin' to… say my…" he collapsed to the ground, head turned to the side with his eyes blurred.

"Sorry…" a memory rose up in his mind as he spoke his final words.

_***Flashback***_

"_Laxus… Why do you always say things you don't mean?" Makarov looked at the teenager that sat with his hands behind his head._

"_Don't know what 'cha talkin' about…" the 18 year old muttered._

"_You told Mirajane that she was a Demon. You know how much she hates it when people call her that… Especially people she considers close friends."_

"_Well isn't that what everyone calls her? I mean, she doesn't really seem to mind…"_

"_Of course she does seem to mind! That's why she cries when she's here at night!"_

"…_I didn't know…"_

"_*sigh* just go apologies to her…"_

"_I never even knew she saw me as a close friend…"_

_***End of flashback***_

"Ha… great… I'm still seein' things…" were his last thoughts as he saw a small, blonde girl with big green eyes and a long pink dress walk towards him.

* * *

"_Do… he's still…"_

_"I don't... He is…"_

_"What… wakes up?"_

_"I'm not…"_

_"Look! He seems…"_

_"You're right!"_

The voices he was hearing were getting louder and more understandable. Sure enough, he was starting to wake up, but wasn't sure where.

"Am… I dead…?" he asked, voice dry and hoarse as his throat burned.

"No, you are very much alive," it belonged to a man, probably a doctor.

"How do you feel?" this one was a woman's, maybe his assistant.

"…dead…" he blurred out and opened his eyes, seeing the two. As he had expected, they were a doctor with short, back hair in a coat with the nurse, long white hair and in a nurse outfit.

"Well you would be if someone hadn't found you," the man explained and brought him a glass of water.

Taking the glass, the almost-dead man greedily drank in about two gulps, before letting out a satisfying sigh. Sitting up, he needed a moment to stop the dizziness.

"It's amazing how you managed to survive this long without water…" the nurse looked wide eyed.

"I try."

"Oh, where are our manners," the doc offered a hand and said: "I am doctor Stratonesia. This here is my wife Okota," the two smiled.

"Laxus," the man only said, taking their hands and shaking. "Thanks for saving my life," he added and shifted a bit, making his bones crack.

"Well… it would seem you will make a full recovery. I'm glad," Stratonesia smiled as he checked the chart.

"Well I've started feeling a lot better since I finally got to drink," Laxus smiled as well.

"But… you said someone found me?" he added, putting his shirt back on.

"Yes… they didn't leave a name… They only appeared and wrote in the sand that there was a man wondering the desert on the verge of dying. No one even saw who it was," the doc shrugged.

"_Could it have been her_…?" Dreyar thought and remembered the little girl he saw.

"Well, you're free to go now," Okota brought his bag and cloak to him and placed it on a chair nearby.

"Ah, thanks. Can I just ask where am I?"

"This is the town of Desert Fire. One of the only ones in this place."

"Desert Fire? I think I've heard of it before…"

"Very likely. We produce the best beer on the whole Earthland!"

"Ah, right the good stuff. So you have a high supply of water even in these conditions?"

"I guess you could say that…" the two partners looked to the ground.

"Is there something wrong?" the blonde raised an eye brow and put on his cloak.

* * *

"For the past 3 months, bandits have been attacking our town, stealing our reserves and destroying anything we produced. Atop of that, we have to pay ransoms as they have taken some of the children from here…" they spoke grimly, not daring to look the stranger in the eyes.

"Ah, but there's no point in wallowing around!" they scratched the backs on their heads, giving the fake smile people like them used to.

"Also no point in telling all of this to a stranger! We just hope you enjoy your stay here," the wife smiled and at that moment, Laxus saw the image of Mira. The same smile, same hair, same pain…

"Have you tried asking anyone else for help?" the Mage shook off the image.

"We don't have any neighbors anywhere near. And even if we did, we probably wouldn't have enough money to pay for any help…"

"I'm sure you could get a Wizard Guild to help you for a cheap job," he knew for a fact Fairy Tail would come and help.

"We don't want Mage's help…" the atmosphere suddenly changed, now it was darker.

"You don't like Mages?" Laxus' chest tightened a bit.

"Indeed… A Mage is responsible for everything that has happened. They bring nothing but chaos and destruction everywhere they go…"

"Is that so…" he whispered, not wanting to know what might happen if he's found as a Mage.

"Forgive us… We have forgotten how to act towards people that are not from around here… It's just… We have been living in fear… and we have no idea what they are doing with our children," the woman broke down and started crying while the man put his arms around her.

Outside the town, figures gathered on a hillside, looking over the town that was before them. There were about 10 of them, each wearing scarves over their faces as three sat atop horses. They had swords, daggers and axes on their backs. "Well, 'bout time we collet our pay!" one yelled as the rode.

* * *

**And now comes part three, as well as the last part. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and do leave a review to tell what you think ^^**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 people! This is much longer than I first thought, but I think it's worth it ^^**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Enjoy**

* * *

_**Ch.14 Instinct**_

"I'm very sorry… But… could you…" Stratonesia started, looking with pleading eyes at the boy before him.

"Don't worry about it… I understand…" picking up his bag, Laxus left the room in which he was in, as well as the crying parents. Even without them saying anything, he knew the bandits had one of their children.

"_What's this nagging in my chest…_" putting an arm where his heart was, he bit his lip. He didn't really know what this feeling was; only that it had something to do with this town.

When he arrived outside, he felt the heat again, and almost thought he might collapse again. There was hardly anything green, but many wooden houses (resembles the Wild West). Some people were giving him weird looks, but he ignored them and continued walking. And then he saw how thin and beaten the people actually look. There were hardly any children around.

"_It's not my fight… hell they don't even want a Mage here… So why then do I-_" his thoughts were interrupted by screaming and yelling.

Turning around, Dreyar saw a group of men raid the town. They were destroying the houses, signs and anything else they could. Others went into houses and stole anything of value.

"_Tch, I'm gonna regret this_," the Lighting Mage frowned before he started walking towards the three who stayed still and laughed at the chaos.

"Hey, Jinzu look at that," one of the bandits nudged his companion and pointed at the approaching figure.

"Hmm?" the poked man looked at the direction and looked in surprise and amusement.

"Hey there fella! I think you got the wrong side of the town!" Jinzu called, grinning.

No answer, the blonde just continued walking. By now, the others had heard the taunt and came out; looking what it was all about. And with them, so did the townsfolk.

"The hell do you think you are?!" another bandit hissed, glaring at the cloaked man.

"I'm just gonna give you this one chance to turn back and never come back," Laxus' voice was hard, emotionless as his eyes showed murder.

"We odda be sayin' that to ya, smart ass!" the attackers then surrounded the Dragon Slayer as he looked both sides, yet showed no signs of a change.

"What does he think he's doing?"

"Is he insane?"

"I can' believe this…"

"They're going to kill him…

"L-Laxus!" the two doctors called; eyes still red from crying. But the said man didn't turn to face them, only kept staring at the bandits.

"You really wanna die that badly huh? Well then, let's not keep him waiting!" and with those words, seven of them attacked, smirking, laughing and yelling.

* * *

Laxus grabbed the first one that came near by the arm, gripping him so tight he could have stopped the blood flow. He then proceeded to hurl the man at three that were coming from the left, while jumping in the air to avoid the three from the right.

While in the air, he stepped on one's head before using it as a jump board and did a back flip while kicking the skipping stone at the other two.

When the first three started getting back up, he dashed to them and punched one in the stomach, elbowed the other in the jaw and kicked the third in the knee.

On the other side, the two who were only hit with their companion took out their swords and charged again, but were far to slow as Dreyar grabbed one of the unconscious men and threw him at the two. When they grabbed him, the blonde ran forward, grabbed their heads and slammed them together.

The watchers were in utter shock and awe as they could hardly believe the display of battle before them. The three on the horses gulped when the Mage turned his head towards them.

"Tch, the hell are you!" Jinzu yelled and waved his arm through the air. A moment later, the ground beneath the exiled man started shifting.

"Quick Sand Trap!" Jinzu smirked.

"How annoying!" Laxus frowned as he found himself sinking into the sand. Hesitating for a second, electricity cracked around him as a moment later his body was transformed into a lightning bolt. Zipping out of the trap, he flew above the men, as they and the town people looked in shock.

"H-He's a Mage!" everyone yelled, eyeing the blonde as he bolted towards the bandits, knocking one of the three from their horse.

"No way I'm stayin' here!" the other two yelled and kicked their horse so they rode off.

"T-That just now… it was magic!" the people shouted when the bandits were gone.

Looking at the townsfolk, Laxus turned around and prepared to leave when he was stopped by a boy, around 18 or so, blonde hair and a scowl on his face.

"Move it kid," Dreyar kept walking.

"No way! You got any idea the hell you just raised!" the kid yelled as more people came from their hiding place.

"_This won't go well…"_ he thought as he saw everyone has the same expression.

"Just what were you thinking?!"

"They'll be back with more people now!"

"What about our kids?!"

"Who knows what they'll do with them now!"

"Who asked you to do any of this?!"

The shouts and yells continued, but all were practically the same. Not one person even showed any signs of gratitude. They really hated Mages…

"You better fix all of this, idiot!" the boy clenched his fist and threw it at the older blonde. But it had no effect, as Laxus simply caught it and glared at the kid.

"You got balls brat," he hissed and saw the fear flash in his eyes.

"Please… release him," a weak voice called.

* * *

Looking to the right, the Dragon Slayer saw an old man, probably same age like Makarov if not older, but taller and with more hair.

"Damien… You should not do such reckless things…" the old man added as Laxus released the boy.

Rubbing his hand, as it clearly hurt, the brat clicked his tongue and spit to the side.

"Shut it old man! This bastard here just brought more problems on our already crappy town! What do you think it's gonna be like when I take over?!"

"With such an attitude it won't survive long…" some of the people came and helped the old man walked towards the Mage.

For a minute, the Lightning Mage wasn't paying attention as his own memories of things like this came back. When he wanted to take over Fairy Tail and the way he acted. The kid before him was just as he was.

"Mayor Lin! Please, you shouldn't be here! Not to mention near someone like that!" that snapped the blonde back to reality.

"Silence!" despite his look, his voice carried authority. And at his order, everyone fell silent.

"Young man… Why did you fight the bandits?" Lin asked, looking up at the tall wizard.

"…Call it an instinct…" was the answer as the people hissed even more, if that was possible anyway.

"Good people… You can not blame this man for his actions! He simply acted in what he believed to be our best interest!" the elder man called, turning to the townsfolk. Despite that, their feelings did not change. It almost made it worse.

"But who asked him to help?!"

"He should have seen that no one else was fighting back!"

"That isn't an excuse mayor!"

"Then what would you have him do as reprimand?"

"If he's so powerful, let him save our children! Let him get back our water! Our money! Our freedom!" they roared.

Shaking his head, Lin turned to the Mage and looked with sad eyes.

"I am sorry about this… They aren't bad people… They just aren't use to anyone else…"

"Yeah, so I've heard…"

* * *

"Gramps! You can't seriously be thinking of asking him for more help?!" the boy yelled again, gritting his teeth.

"Damien!"

"No! I'm sick of all the stupid things you've done! For all I care you can do it anywhere else, but I'm the one that'll be taking over when you kick the bucket! Keep it up the way you are, and there won't even be anything for me to take!"

"You know I am still thinking if you are fit for something like that…"

"W-What?! Who else would be fit? It's mine by rights!"

"Keep acting the way you do and that right will be given to someone else."

"You can't do that!"

"I surely can."

"Agh! I hate you! I hope we get rid of you soon!" the brat shouted before storming off as the people moved out of his way.

Sighing, Lin shook his head and looked at the stranger, sadness in his eyes.

"I am sorry you had to see that… It is just; Damien's parents were killed when they stood up to the bandits…"

"It's fine… I can relate what it's like…" Laxus clenched his fists. "_Was this how it looked? How it seemed to everyone else? How the old man felt…"_ guilt and regret almost made his cry again.

"I can offer some water, but I'm afraid you can not stay here any longer…"

"I understand… Thanks."

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter. Tell me what you think by reviewing and I hope you enjoyed ^^**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yey chapter 15! I finally have more time since I'm almost done with school, so the last few chapters will come much faster =D**

**I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Read and enjoy ^^**

* * *

_**Ch.15 Three rules of Fairy Tail**_

Despite protests of the townsfolk, Lin gave Laxus enough water to last for about three days. Needless to say, they were happy to see the mage leave.

"Sorry for the trouble I caused…" Dreyar looked at the mayor as he stood on the edge of the town.

"It would have come to this sooner or later… You just take care of yourself…" the old man gave a smile.

"…Why? Why are you being nice to me, while everyone else hates my guts?" that had been bugging him for a while now.

"Why you ask? Well, as I said before, you couldn't have known the situation. And not all Mages are evil, we know that. It's simply easier to blame another."

"Yeah, I guess… Anyway, thanks and e… hope you get past this," the Dragon Slayer was still sort of new to the whole 'being a good guy' so he didn't know what to say.

"Thank you… The next town is a few kilometers from here," and with those parting words, the blonde started leaving and heading towards the desert yet again.

* * *

"You're tellin' me you ran with you tails between your legs, from _**one**_ man?!" a man with spiky green hair and a scar across his lips hissed.

"B-But boss… T-This guy! He-He wasn't normal! He was some sort of wizard!" Jinzu was trembling as he stood before the man.

"So?! Ain't you a wizard too?! Or was that just some cheap trick?" the boss spit in his subordinate's face.

"I-I am, but he-"

"I don't care anymore! We'll just have to make the bastards of that pathetic town understand what happens when you mess with us!"

"And if the man's still there?"

"I'll take care of him personally," the boss's eyes glowed red for a few seconds.

* * *

"…_Why can't I stop thinking about it_?" Laxus frowned as he kept walking.

"_They made it clear they don't want my help… hell they hate me… So why the hell to I wanna go back and help them…?_" he was so lost in thought, he didn't even see the figure before him until they bumped.

"Oh, sorry…" he muttered, shook his head and looked at the person. They wore old, ragged clothes, sandals and had messy long hair. At second glance, the Dragon Slayer knew it was a woman.

"Is someone there?" her voice was hoarse and dry as she turned her head around.

"A-Ah, here lady," he put a hand on her shoulder and felt almost nothing but bone.

"Ah, sorry son," she smiled and turned her head towards him. Only then did he see the white eyes she had.

"Afraid I'm blind," she bowed a bit, still smiling.

"Oh e… d-don't worry 'bout it… I should've been payin' more attention…" he mumbled and looked to the side.

"Tell me… do you know if there is a town nearby?" she asked.

"Yeah, a bit of a walk from here. But how can you see?"

"I see with the sand… Somehow, I wasn't able to see you, young man."

"You are alone then? Any reason you're wandering the desert?"

"Ah yes…I am looking for some minerals… I haven't had anywhere pleasant to sleep for the past week… and ran out of anything edible and drinkable about a day a go… That is why I am looking for the town," she was still smiling.

Laxus' chest tightened as he looked at the poor, old woman. A strange feeling, one he hadn't felt many times before overcame him as he looked into her face.

"You know…" he suddenly stared.

"It can be a long walk for someone as old as ya…" he added, as her smiled turned into curiosity.

"…Here, you can take some of my water for the journey," he took out the water pouch Lin gave him and put in the old woman's hands.

"Y-You are giving it to me?" she was shaking as she held it.

"Yeah… I still got some left and you clearly need it more than me."

"T-Thank you… thank you young man…" tears started falling down her cheeks as she wiped them away.

"Don't mention it…" he nodded before putting his bag back over his back and continued walking.

"_What made me do that?_" it wasn't that he didn't want to do that, or that he was going to take it back. He was just a bit confused.

"_Man… what would the others think if they saw me now…?_" a smile appeared on his lips. Looking up, he saw the sun was staring to set.

"_Sun set huh? It's the same as that day… when we last talked…_" a memory surfaced as he looked at the sky.

* * *

_***Memory***_

It was the same day of his expulsion. He had met with the Raijinshu at the park and was saying his goodbyes.

"No! You can't be serious! Why were you the only one that got kicked out?" Evergreen shouted.

"Yeah! We're just as guilty as you!" Bickslow protested. "Just as guilty!" his dolls repeated.

"The old man doesn't see it that way," he tried to explain.

"If you're going, so are we!" Ever clenched her fists, trying to go along.

"Why should we be here, if you ain't?" Bix was also trying hard to get his point.

"You guys can be such a pain. Say goodbye and get it over with," it was pointless, but they didn't want to accept that. He hadn't expected them to be this loyal, not after everything he did. Yet here they were, trying to follow him, even into exile.

"We are at fault as well so why are you taking the blame?" Freed was a bit more calm then the rest.

"You're wrong there. You guys are more attached to this place than I ever will be."

"Maybe we could talk to the master!"

"Yeah, and some of the others respect you! He'll listen to them!"

Laxus wasn't really paying much attention anymore. He was thinking of something else. "_I wonder… what about her? … Yeah… it's worth a shot."_

"Are you really leaving?" now that he said it out loud, it seemed Justine didn't want to accept it either.

Turning, Dreyar called: "Take care," and waved them goodbye. Even now, they were still trying to come along, yelling for him to stop and what will happen without him. He couldn't help but smile. He could hear Evergreen crying and Bickslow gritting his teeth. He was amazed that Freed was so calm.

"_Well… time for the hard part,_" he told himself as he headed towards the beach.

He saw her walking at the shore, shoes in her hands as the wind blew past her hair. For a minute or so, he simply watched and smiled. He was still debating if he should say anything to her. Out of everyone, he probably hurt her the most… but then he decided.

"Hey, Mira!" he called, following her footprints.

She turned around, at first clearly confused and moved some of her hair out of the way. But then, when he waved at her, she smiled and blushed.

"Laxus… what are you doing here?" she asked when he caught up to her.

"Well… I came to say goodbye to be honest," he shifted a bit.

"And umm… To say sorry… for… everything," he lowered his gaze at the ocean.

"Laxus…" she whispered in shock.

"Look, I know it ain't goona be that easy… Everything I did… I caused a lot of people pain… you probably the most… but… I just… agh, I don't know anymore… I just… wanna make it up to everyone some way…"

"Do you… really mean it?" she took a step closer to him, as if testing his resolve.

"Yeah, I do… Mira… I'm sorry about everything I did… I really am… I heard from Freed what happened with Elfman… I never meant for it to get that bad… But coming from me you probably don't believe me…"

"Laxus… I believe you… it's not easy to forget…"

"Yeah… I know…"

"But… we are willing to forgive," at that he looked up, eyes wide with shock. She was smiling gently at him.

"R-Really?" it was choked out.

"Yes. Natsu kept saying that no matter what, you are still part of the Guild. And I believe that when we will meet again, you'll be different."

"Mira…" he whispered, biting his lip, he closed his eyes and turned around.

"Well… until then. You watch yourself," he put his arm up and waved goodbye before he started heading back.

"Will you stay for the Fantasia Parade?" she called back and made him stop.

"The master… I think he would want you to be there… So will you come?" she wasalmost begging.

"I'll think about it…" he gave her a final smile before leaving.

_***End of memory***_

"Tch… Who was I kiddin'? The way I am now, I haven't changed…" he mumbled and stopped.

"_No way… I made a promise… And I still got some things I wanna do… I was a Fairy Tail wizard long enough for it to rub off… Three important rules!_" he turned around and started running.

"_One: Never back away from a challenge!_" he saw a figure walking, and knew it was the old lady.

"_Two: Always stick your nose where it doesn't belong!"_ he put a hand on her and smiled as she turned around.

"_Three: Help people even if they hate you!"_

"Lemme help ya walk back to town. There are all sorts of dangers here."

"If… If you really want to," she smiled.

"Yeah. I forgot somethin' there anyway. So, get on my back," he kneeled down and put her hand on his shoulder. "We're gonna go faster this way, so get ready," she looked confused before nodding and getting on. In the next moment, he dashed off, grinning as the woman held for dear life.

* * *

**Just two or three more to go people. I hope you enjoyed and do review what you think ^^**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 14 is here =D I had different ways of how this one ended, but decided with this, since I didn't want to skip anything too important while at the same time keep it from being to stuffed. **

**Hope you enjoy ^^ I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes.**

* * *

_**Ch.16 From zero to hero**_

"M-My you are a fast one," the woman managed to speak while tightening her hold around Laxus' chest.

"Sorry, I'd go slower, but I'm in a bit of a hurry…" he glanced back every now and then to see if the woman was alright.

"_Damn, this is gonna drain me fast… not to mention I'm gonna be sore,_" he clicked his tongue but kept it up. The town wasn't far away.

"_A bit more_… Hey old lady! When we get there, you should quickly find a safe place," he called.

"Safe place? What for?"

"There's a thunder storm coming," he smirked.

* * *

"Hitoku! What are you doing here? We already paid this week's ransom," Lin asked as three men stood in his house.

The bandits had raided the town again, this time everyone came, including the boss. People had hide in their homes while others watched thought windows. The only ones who weren't hiding were Damien, Lin and Okota, who gave the mayor his weekly checkup.

"Yea, I know. But my boys came back earlier, sayin' someone beat 'em up after they came here for a little bit of fun," the boss, Hitoku, smirked and looked down at the three people before him.

"The guy ain't here anymore! He left a few hours ago!" Damien almost yelled, fists clenched.

"Oh? Well, that's too bad… we'll just have to take it out on you people then…" he laughed as horror was shown in their eyes.

"Gather all the brats left under 12 years and take all the women between 16 and 23. We're gonna have some fun with 'em."

"No, Hitoku! Please! Do not do this! Whatever punishment let me take it!" Lin begged.

"Sorry old geezer, this is your punishment! Get the girl here too. She has a nice ass," he nodded towards Okota as the two men grabbed and dragged her out screaming and kicking.

"Oko-san!" Damien shouted and was about to punch the boss, had his grandfather not grabbed him by the shoulder.

"HA-HA-HA! This is why this place is such a dump! You ain't got any back bone old man!" Hitoku roared with laughter again before leaving the house.

"Why did you let them get away?! This is just too much old man!"

"There is nothing you can do."

Outside, women and children were already being dragged from their homes and families, as the men gritted their teeth and clenched their fists. They couldn't do anything!

"That's right people! This is what you get for tryin' to cross me!" Hitoku yelled, laughing again.

"Oi, jackass!" someone called as everyone turned towards the edge of town. There were two people, an old lady and a blonde man, standing.

* * *

"Time for you to hide lady," Laxus whispered and allowed the woman to get off his back.

"R-Right… thank you and please watch yourself…" she then as quickly as she could, found a safe spot.

"Was it me you called that, brat?" the boss raised an eyebrow at the Mage.

"Yeah, seems you got problems with your hearing," Dreyar didn't bother looking around, only stared at the man before him as he started walking.

"W-What's he doing back here?"

"No! Why did he come?"

"We're goners…"

"Leave!"

"We don't need your help!"

Those shouts went by ignored by the Dragon Slayer as he continued to walk. He's gonna help 'em if they wanted it or not.

"Ha? They don't seem to like you too much," Hitoku smirked as Jinzu ran up to him.

"Boss! T-That's the guy! That's the one that-" he would have gone on, had a lightning bolt not zapped him and knocked him out cold.

"Guess he was right… You are a Mage… and a Lightning one at that."

"Flattering won't get you anywhere."

"Straight to business then? Then get him boys!" at his order, 10 of the bandits charged with their weapons raised.

"Quit screwing around!" Laxus shouted; anger and murder surrounding him as lightning started descending from the sky and onto the attackers. He was going to finish this quickly.

"I'll have to re-think a bit on this one…" Hitoku muttered as he watched the Mage take down every bandit that came after him.

"Don't you have anyone stronger?!" Dreyar yelled, attacking with electric fists.

"Meh, I'll settle for a stronger strategy," turning around, Laxus' heart missed a beat as his electricity vanished.

* * *

"Got your attention don't I, Mr. Thunder," Hitoku was smirking as he held a glowing hand of lightning next to three women's faces.

"They ain't got anything to do with this!" the exiled man shouted, but didn't move.

"So? Where does it say I can't use 'em as hostages? Now, you're going to take a beating like the dog that you are, or I'll blow their brains out," he moved the hand closer to make a point.

Gritting his teeth, Laxus clenched his fists and glared at the man.

"_I'd probably make it for two of 'em… Can't guarantee for the third one…Damn if only someone would distract him! Even if just for a moment!_" his muscles were tense as he saw he was surrounded again.

"Well? You wouldn't want these innocent girls to die 'cause you were too stubborn," he mocked, leaning in even closer.

"Tch, you bastard!" Dreyar hissed, closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Good boy… Now get 'im boys!" Hitoku laughed as the men charged again.

The bandits jumped and knocked him to the ground, before proceeding to kick and punch him everywhere they wanted. And he didn't fight back. Only put his arms up in a block, yet didn't put much effort into it.

The people were scared and shaking with fear. They watched as the beating continued and the boss laughed while the women he had hostage were crying.

"Is this the one that saved you?! Pathetic! You people are truly hopeless! There is no one who can save you from me! Remember that!" he laughed even harder.

"O-Okota… No…" Stratonesia looked in horror as his wife was taken prisoner.

"And Laxus can't do anything… because… no… there has to be a way… There has to be-" he closed his eyes, trying to hide the images he was seeing. And then, something rang in his head.

Looking before him, the doctor took a deep breath before stepping out of his house and onto the road where the fighting was going on.

* * *

"Ha? Who the hell are you?" Hitoku raised an eyebrow, but kept the magic close and personal.

"S-Strat! What are you doing?" Okota yelled, earning herself a slap across the face.

"I'm tired of this… I… I want to live not just survive!" he yelled, shaking as he stood before Hitoku.

"Man, you got balls… Too bad I'll have to kill ya now," the boss smirked and raised his hands at the doctor, who had closed his eyes and prepared for the end.

"Die!" he yelled.

But before the magic could even leave his body, thunder clashing was heard as lighting started raining from the sky.

"Wh-" he didn't even get to finish before a flash of yellow exploded from under the group of bandits that were piled atop the Dragon Slayer.

Every bandit was sent flying into a building or other object so hard; they broke it and was no way for them to get back up.

"You little shit!" Hitoku hissed and directed his attack at the blonde. "Eat this, bastard!" he added as lightning flew from his hands towards the Mage.

Laxus didn't move. He only stood there and waited for the attack to get close enough, before he inhaled with and open mouth. The lighting was being absorbed as he literally ate it.

"W-What the hell?" that sent shivers down the boss's spine as he took a step back.

"Tch, even your attacks taste filthy... but it was recharging none the less… lemme repay you for that!" Dreyar growled, lightning radiating from his body as he charged forward, fist clenched and yelled: "This is from a friend of mine!" and delivered an uppercut to Hitoku that send him flying into the air. That was a move Gildarts taught him when the blonde was still in his 'good years'.

"Have a nice flight," he smirked, grimacing at the pain that followed his assault.

* * *

"Damn it," he hissed, dropping to one knee and held his side, feeling broken ribs.

"_The old wounds haven't healed yet_," he took a deep breath before he felt a pair of hands around his arms and allowed them to help him up.

Blinking in shock, he saw it was the townsfolk that came to his aid. Those who weren't holding him were either cheering him on or crying of joy.

"You have our deepest gratitude and sincerest apologies' Laxus. Will you ever forgive us?" some men asked, looking guilty, ashamed and nervous.

"I got nothin' to forgive. Let's call it even, since doc over there saved my sorry ass," he smirked as the people laughed.

"That's good Laxus… You have changed, and I'm glad to have been able to see that. But your journey is not yet over… Soon, you will be needed and we'll have to meet," the old woman thought and smiled as she stared at the blonde, before she vanished into the wind.

A strange feeling came over the Dragon Slayer, as he turned around, thinking someone was watching him, only to see nothing. Shaking it off, he allowed himself to be carried to the major's office where Okota proceeded to take care of his wounds.

But little did he know, there was someone watching him, a girl, pink dress, long blonde hair and green eyes, as she happily sat on a rooftop watching until the Wizard was out of sight.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed and do review to tell what you think ^^ Any kinds are appreciated and now I think you already know who the 'mysterious protector' is. Or maybe not just yet. I'll reveal it next time =)**


	17. The end

**This is the last chapter people! I'm so happy so many of you followed/favored and reviewed! Thanks so much! You rock =D I really do hope you enjoyed the story, and that you thought it was fitting. ^^**

**Like every other time, I only own the OCs and grammar mistakes. Hope you enjoy the last chapter ^^**

* * *

_**Ch. 17 The choices we make**_

"I'm guessing," Laxus started, but winced in pain as Okota cleaned his wound. "They're going to find the kids?" he continued, gesturing to the men that were leaving the town.

"Yes. They saw it best to leave while you were… unable to move properly. They did not want you doing anything more, as you've already done so much," she smiled.

"Oh, don't worry about that… I was planning to sit this one out anyway," he smiled back.

"What will you do now, hero?" Lin asked, sitting behind his desk and watching the two.

"Being honest, I'm not sure… I guess I'll wonder about a bit more…" he spoke more to himself than anyone, looking lost in thought.

"But," he added, seeing the concerned looks on the two residents. "I've got somethin' else I gotto do here…" the blonde nodded, determine to see it through.

"And what is that?" the two asked, curious.

"I need to talk to Damien…" he said quietly, as if not wanting them to hear.

"Talk to me about what?" the said boy suddenly entered the room, face emotionless as he stared at the Mage.

"I think we best leave you two alone…" Lin spoke, slowly getting up, while Okota quickly nodded, wrapped one more bandage around the Dragon Slayer's torso and followed the elder man.

* * *

"Well? What do you want, Mage," the boy sneered as if the word was poisoned.

Taking a deep breath, Dreyar answered: "That you need to stop."

"Stop? What are you-" but before he could finish, the look Laxus gave him, made him take a step or two back and gulp.

"Stop the way you're acting. The way you talk to others. The way you treat your grandfather," the Mage continued, watching the boy closely.

"Yeah? And what if I don't?" somehow, Damien found the courage to speak back.

"You'll end up regretting everything, for the rest of your life," the answer made the boy grit his teeth and clench his fist.

"What do you know about **me**?! What do **you** know about what I've been through?!" he lashed out, tears visible on his cheeks, but rage in his eyes.

"I know a lot about it…" that sentence, and with the pain filled look the blonde gave him, made Damien take a sharp breath before collapsing to his knees.

Laxus did not move to help him, since he doubted Damien would let him. So instead, he continued talking: "The reason I'm here… that I've been traveling to much… is because I was exiled. That happened, because I did a lot of bad things, things I'm ashamed of, and things I see you are doing as well… Believe me when I tell you, the end result isn't worth it. I know you lost your parents, and while I never knew my mother, my father is a psychopath that's tried to kill me. I pushed the only people that actually gave a damn about me away, and now I'm here. I can't let you do this to yourself, now when I know how it ends. But you still have a chance, to make it better, to not mess up like me and be hated and guilt-ridden forever."

Damien looked up, barely seeing anything thought his watered eyes, but managed to whisper: "You really believe that?" before the doors opened to reveal that Okota and Lin came to see what all the commotion was about.

"I would ask what you spoke to him about, but I believe it is best to leave that to you two…" Lin turned to face the Dragon Slayer, after Okota helped Damien off the floor and back to his home.

"Yeah, that'd be best. At least until he's better…" Dreyar mumbled, looking out the window.

"I presume you intend to leave soon?" it was more of an observation than a question, but his voice carried sadness none the less.

"Yeah… I don't really want to stay in one place to long…" looking at the elder man, Laxus gave an apologetic smile.

"I understand… At least let me give you some extra water. Now that the bandits are gone, our supplies are stocked again."

"I'll take beer if you have it… Then I might stay for the night," it was meant as a joke, but Lin took it seriously. And so, for a few hours, he sat in one of the bars, drinking, laughing and itching to fight like in the guild, but he knew better.

"Well… I guess my time's up," he took one last swing of the beer, before getting to his feet, throwing his new-stocked bag over his shoulder and smiled.

"Aww man! Already?"

"You can't leave! You're too drunk!"

"Can't you stay a bit longer?"

"Can't you stay forever?"

Laxus was amazed at what they were saying, but shook it off as them being drunk. Waving his hand in the air, he left the bar and made his way towards the desert once more, this time, under the cover of night.

* * *

"So… where to next?" he muttered to himself after he lost view of the village.

"_Laxus_," he heard someone whisper, a female, and spun around, looking for anyone.

"_Must be hearing things…_" he told himself, turning back and almost had a heart attack when he saw a small girl, dressed in pink, green eyes and long, wavy blonde hair.

"What the hell?!" he panicked, dropping his bag and looking wide eyed.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she smiled as he kept blinking at her.

"Okay… maybe I am drunk," he shook his head, rubbing his face.

"Oh no, I'm quiet real and you are very much awake," she giggled, stepping close.

"Um… I'm pretty sure these kinds of things only happen in dreams," he didn't buy it.

"What do I need to prove that I am real?" she pouted.

"Maybe start by giving me a reason I can believe this is real?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm… Well, I guess I can say that I am Mavis Vermilion, first master and creator of Fairy Tail," she looked thoughtfully, before noticing the disbelieving look on the blonde's face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she blinked at him.

"Y…You're Mavis? **The** Mavis?" he repeated the name.

"Yes… why is that hard to believe? Because I am a girl?" she seemed offended.

"Aren't you supposed to be… e, dead?" he shrugged.

"Oh, that's why! No not really… It's a lot more complicated than that, and we don't really have time for that. Do you believe this is real now?"

"Okay, okay! Let's assume, for a minute, that I believe this is really happening. Why would you come to me? I case you missed the last two months, I was exiled from Fairy Tail."

"I know that. But that does not matter at the moment," her expression changed, now more serious and determine.

"What are you talking about?"

* * *

"I've been watching after you since Joya Laxus… And now I need you to help your guild."

"Wait what? Watching over me? Why?"

"Your grandfather asked me to."

"Gramps? He did what? Does he know-" he was cut short by Mavis as she shook her head.

"He prayed for your safety after news of what happened in Joya spread… He asked his ancestors and anyone else, to watch over you. I saw how much he cared for you, and that you were seeing redemption. I felt it was my duty to do so."

"Your duty? But… I'm not a mage of Fairy Tail anymore," he whispered the last part.

"Maybe not by mark, or name, but in heart. Everyone believes in you, thinks of you and hopes that you return soon. Especially your closes friends."

"Closes friends?" he repeated, images of Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow running through his mind.

"Yes, and now they will be in need of your help."

Laxus was silent for a minute, before turning around and saying: "I can't go back… I-I can't face any of them… not yet. Not until I can be sure I changed…"

"But you have changed. I have seen it with my own eyes. You-" this time, he cut her off.

"Thanks for believing in me, but that does nothing if I don't feel that way…" he whispered and made the former master look with sadness.

"I want to help… But I can't face them. Whatever they're up against, they can handle it. They are Fairy Tail after all…" he took a few steps, but stopped when she spoke again.

"Laxus," she called quietly. "As I can not get you to listen, would you be willing to do something for me?" she was speaking gently.

"I guess… What do you need?" he turned around.

"Go to my Grave on Tenroujima. I… I wish for someone to light a candle there, that will bring peace to the island," she bit her lip and looked at the ground.

"Sure," he smiled sadly, imagining what it must be like, being a ghost and all alone on a huge island.

"Thank you," she whispered, before disappearing, leaving the shocked Laxus.

* * *

"Well… now that that's over," he sighed, putting his headphones on and started walking. He had no real intentions to go on Tenrou Island, as he still believed this was nothing more than a dream.

"_There's just no way any of its possible…_" he told himself, walking past a few rocks and stopping in the small shade they provided.

The sun had risen faster than he predicted and had to find a temporary shelter. That was, until a strong wind flew by, lasting a few seconds, so he turned towards it, not only because it was cool, but because he thought he heard something.

"_**I can't… die yet… Hear me… my successor,"**_ it was weak, very weak, but it was defiantly Makarov's voice, he was sure about it. Then something made him feel as if he had just woken up, and realized that he had gained someone's, presumably his grandfather's magic.

"What the hell… is this feeling in my chest," he said, finding it a bit hard to breathe for a moment. And that's when he stopped and considered, that maybe, what happened before with Mavis, might not have actually been a dream. And that his guild needed him, like it or not!

_**-END-**_

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**And that's the end. Do review what you think of it, and hope you enjoyed it ^^**

**I plan to write some more Laxus stories, but not very soon, as I have other things to write. Feel free to read any of my other stories (some older than most and aren't really all that good ^^'') if you think they're interesting =D**

**Until we meet again, my friends, stay safe, healthy and happy! Enjoy every bit of life, be it bad or good, as it tends to be short ^^**


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